


Days Carry On

by seaunicorn



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe - World War II, F/F, I promise there’s a happy ending, Minor Character Death, Pilots, WASP AU, War, Women’s Airforce Service Pilots, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 18:36:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 53,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20840147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seaunicorn/pseuds/seaunicorn
Summary: January 1943Stepping off the bus into the chilly winter air was the most exciting moment of Alyssa Greene’s life to date. She gripped at the handle of her suitcase and stepped out onto the busy Houston airfield, amazed at how the bustling crowd around her was made up of primarily women. It was a sight that Alyssa never thought she would see in her life, and the reality gave her a thrill of excitement for the next six months and beyond as she trained to become a Women’s Airforce Service Pilot.World War II / WASP AU





	1. Far Away From Home

_ Alyssa clutched the pamphlet in her hands with an anxious excitement. There was no way she would be able to do this without her mother’s approval, or her financial support. It was going to take a lot of convincing to get Veronica Greene to agree to something like this, when what she really wanted from Alyssa was for her to be the perfect homemaker, the perfect wife to the perfect husband. _

_ It was all her mother wanted for her, and as soon as the war was over Alyssa was sure she would be subject to a boring life with a boring man and live out the rest of her days devoid of any adventure or fulfilling purpose. _

_ But the war wasn’t over. In fact, for America, the war was just beginning. And Alyssa was tired of feeling useless. She was tired of feeling like she wasn’t in control of anything in her life. Finally, she had found an opportunity to do something good, and to take charge of her own destiny. _

_ All she needed to do was convince her mom. _

_ “Mother?” Alyssa called out as stepped into the kitchen, where her mother was preparing food. She chopped vegetables for their dinner and glanced up as Alyssa approached her. _

_ “Alyssa, dear, where have you been? Can you please give me a hand with supper?” _

_ “Mother, I need to talk to you about something.” _

_ “Can it wait? The Brooks family is coming for dinner, and their son is overseas right now but once he returns I’m sure the two of you would make a lovely match, so it’s very important we make a good impression—“ _

_ “Mother!” Alyssa groaned in frustration. Unable to listen to her carry on any longer about whatever man she wanted Alyssa to marry, and not knowing how to broach the subject, Alyssa simply shoved the pamphlet into her mother’s hands and crossed her arms over her chest. _

_ “What’s this?” Veronica looked at the paper with a frown. “Women’s Airforce Service Pilots?” _

_ “Mother, I’d like to apply to join the WASPs.” _

_ Veronica glanced up from the pamphlet to Alyssa, stared at her for a moment, and then let out a sharp laugh. “You can’t be serious, Alyssa? This is not a job for women. They’re only fooling themselves if they think this program is going to be successful.” _

_ “I’m completely serious. I want to join the WASPs, and I want to help with the war effort.” _

_ “Why on earth would you do that, Alyssa? The military? The Airforce? That’s a man’s job. You can help out the war effort in other ways, dear. I told you about that job selling war bonds, right? You need to stay right here and make sure you’re safe and sound for when the men return, and then you can find yourself a husband who is a war hero.” _

_ “Mom, this is the only chance I’ll ever have to do something. Something that would have made dad proud.” _

_ Alyssa seemed to hit a nerve as Veronica frowned, stepped past her and marched into the den. “Do not bring your father into this. You never even met him.” _

_ “I never met him because he died before I was born.” Alyssa followed after her mother. “He died in the Great War. He thought he was protecting you, protecting us from anything like that ever happening again. But here we are. It’s happening again! I know I never met him, but I know that if he was here he would want me to do this. Please, mom.” _

_ Veronica sat down on the sofa and buried her face in her hands. Alyssa felt a surge of empathy. She knew bringing up her father was. A touchy subject, but it might be the only thing to convince her mom. She sat down next to her and placed a hand on her mother’s knee. She heard a sniffle, but knew better than to acknowledge it. Veronica Greene hated nothing more than to let others see her weakness. _

_ After a moment, Veronica took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. She flattened out the pamphlet that she had crumpled in her hands. She straightened her shoulders and flipped through a few of the pages. “So,” she muttered. “We’ll need to get you a pilot’s license, then?” _

_ Alyssa’s face lit up in a splitting grin. She threw her arms around her mother, wrapping her in a tight hug. “Thank you.” _

* * *

**January 1943**

Stepping off the bus into the chilly winter air was the most exciting moment of Alyssa Greene’s life to date. She gripped at the handle of her suitcase and stepped out onto the busy Houston airfield, amazed at how the bustling crowd around her was made up of primarily women. It was a sight that Alyssa never thought she would see in her life, and the reality gave her a thrill of excitement for the next six months and beyond as she trained to become a Women’s Airforce Service Pilot.

She had passed the initial application process and was about to begin her training, along with a few dozen other bright eyed young women who wanted to do something more with their lives than cook for their husbands and raise children. She would be surrounded with like-minded people instead of her mother, shoving her own agenda down Alyssa’s throat.

Alyssa stepped up to the registration table, where a line of other women stood, waiting.

“My husband is stationed in Italy right now,” Alyssa overheard a woman in front of her say. She had dark, curly hair and chatted amiably with the woman next to her. “The moment I told him about the WASP program, he wrote back and he said, Shelby, you have to do it.”

“My husband Nick is in London,” the other woman said. “He’s Air Force. He’s actually the one who taught me to fly. But oh, gosh, I could never tell him about this. He would go ballistic! I love him, but he can be a little overprotective. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, I guess.”

The two women seemed to notice Alyssa’s eavesdropping and glanced at her as the line moved forward. “What about you. Are you married?” Shelby asked.

“Oh, no, not at all,” Alyssa replied, shaking her head. “Much to my mother’s chagrin. No, I just wanted to help the war effort. I’m Alyssa. Alyssa Greene.”

“Shelby Shields.” She held out a hand, which Alyssa took and gave her a firm handshake.

“Amanda Kaylee Klein,” the other woman introduced herself. “Shit, I mean Boomer. It’s an awful last name, really. Anyway, you can just call me Kaylee.”

The line moved forward and they were at the table to check in. Each of them had their names checked off a list and were sent to building four to claim their bunks.

“I had never flown a plane before I heard about WASP,” Shelby confessed as the group made their way across the airfield toward the barracks. “But I knew I had to learn. I just barely hit the 30 flight hour requirement before the application deadline.”

“I hadn’t flown before either,” Alyssa confessed. “Thankfully my mother was supportive. She made sure I had more than enough practice to meet the requirements, though that was probably because she just always wants me to be the best at whatever I do.”

“We have our first test flights today, right?” Kaylee asked.

“Yes, they just want to make sure we didn’t lie about our experience and that we can actually fly a plane,” Alyssa said, remembering what she had read about the training program. “It shouldn’t be a big deal.”

They pushed open the door to the building that would be their home for the next six months. The barracks were bustling with other women, crowded with those who had already arrived. The beds were lined up along opposite walls. Each pair of beds was equipped with a mirror and a shared dresser. The bathrooms were at the end of the hall. It was nothing fancy, and Alyssa had never had to share quarters with anyone before, let alone a dozen other women, but she wasn’t averse to the idea.

Shelby and Kaylee quickly claimed the last pair of beds that were available together in this room, leaving Alyssa to find an available place to sleep.

The last available bunk was at the far end of the room, in the corner. The bed across from hers was already occupied by a young woman, around Alyssa’s age. She had her back turned as she folded clothes and placed them in the dresser. She had short blonde hair tied up in a small ponytail.

Alyssa cleared her throat. “Hey,” she said as the woman turned around. She wore glasses over her hazel eyes and gave Alyssa an excited grin. “I guess we’re bunk mates.”

“Hi,” she said, holding out a hand. “I’m Emma Nolan.” She glanced back at the dresser. “I tried to leave some space for your things. And I don’t have a whole lot of stuff, so you should be fine.”

“Alyssa Greene,” Alyssa introduced herself as she shook Emma’s hand. “Thanks, I appreciate that.”

“Are you excited about training? Because I’m pretty excited about it. I didn’t think I’d actually get here and now here I am! Here we are. Some of the first female pilots in US military history. We’re making history!”

The woman’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Alyssa found herself smiling as she dropped her suitcase on her bed and unzipped it. “I didn’t think about it like that,” she mused. “I suppose we are making history.”

“How did you see it?”

Alyssa shrugged. “Making a difference.”

Emma hesitated, as if she hadn’t seen it from Alyssa’s perspective either. She thought for a moment, and then replied, “I like that.”

Before Alyssa could continue her conversation with Emma or finish unpacking, a woman entered the barracks and called them to attention.

“Ladies!” said the shrill voice. “You’re wanted out on the runway in five minutes. We need to get started with your first test flights posthaste.”

Alyssa glanced to Emma, who seemed to go pale at the prospect of their test flights, which was odd, considering they were training to be military pilots. “I guess we should head out there.” Emma didn’t respond, or even seem to hear her. “Nolan?”

That seemed to snap her attention. “Yeah, you can go ahead. I’ll see you out there.” She stalked off to the bathroom without another word.

Alyssa frowned, but glanced around and found Kaylee and Shelby waving her over. She joined them as they exited the barracks and walked out to the runway. The woman who summoned them was already waiting by the aircraft they would be testing with.

“Do you know who that woman is?” Alyssa asked, in a hushed voice.

“I believe that’s Dee Dee Allen,” Shelby replied. “One of the founders of the WASP program and one of the first women to shuttle aircraft overseas for the war effort.”

“Wow.”

“We are learning from the best,” Kaylee chimed in.

Alyssa glanced around to see if Emma had arrived yet, but she was nowhere to be found. Finally, just as Dee Dee cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention, she saw Emma filter into the back of the crowd. She gave Alyssa a quick smile, then turned her attention to the front.

“This is a standard SBD Dauntless, which you should all be familiar with already,” Dee Dee explained. “It’s one of the most common aircraft we use, and what you will be testing in. Each of you will fly for ten minutes with one of our experienced military pilots and show them that you actually know how to fly a damn plane. After your test, you will be informed whether you pass or fail, and then you’re free to head to the mess hall for dinner. Any questions?” When there were no interjections, Dee Dee nodded and took a look at the piece of paper in her hands. “Then let’s get started. Margaret Avery? You’re up first.”

A confident looking woman, much younger than Alyssa herself, strutted to the front of the crowd. She must have been barely eighteen. The pilot offered a headset which she quickly put on over her ears, and they climbed inside. The whole group watched as the plane took off into the sky.

It seemed everyone in this group was fairly beginner pilots. Most women probably heard about the WASPs and then rushed to get their pilot’s licenses so they could apply, just like Alyssa did. The only one who seemed to have the confidence and skill was Kaylee; to be fair, she probably had the most experience because her husband had trained her.

As it grew closer to Alyssa’s turn, she became a little nervous. She knew how to fly a plane, of course. She was confident in her own skill. But if the man testing her didn’t agree, he could send her home just like that. And Alyssa didn’t want to go home.

“Alyssa Greene.”

Alyssa took a deep breath and stepped forward. She donned her headset, and took a deep breath, looking back out at her classmates before taking off. Her eyes met Emma’s, and the woman gave her a reassuring thumbs up. Alyssa gave her a nod, then eased the plane into the sky.

She followed the pilot’s instructions to the best of her ability. Turn left, bank right, faster, slower. There was one turn that Alyssa felt was a little shaky, and her landing was a little rough, as she touched back down on solid ground with a wince, but as she climbed out of the plane and the instructor told her that she had passed, Alyssa let out a sigh of relief.

“Loretta Lopez.”

Alyssa walked past another woman, who was a little older than herself, short, dark, curly hair, and a nervous frown on her face. Alyssa gave her a reassuring smile, which seemed to ease her nerves a bit.

They were all in this together for the next six months.

Alyssa thought about going to the mess hall to join Kaylee, but when she reached the back of the crowd, she lingered a bit longer than she needed to, watching the test flights. She wasn’t quite sure what she was waiting for, until twenty minutes later, Dee Dee called out another name.

“Emma Nolan.”

Alyssa watched as Emma weaved her way through the crowd, a bit slow, nervous. After Emma climbed into the pilot’s seat of the plane, Alyssa caught her eye and gave her a thumbs up. Emma seemed surprised to see her, but appeared to relax after that. She pulled the headset over her ears, and took off on her test flight.

Ten minutes later, when Emma touched back down on the ground, Alyssa saw her sigh of relief and figured she had passed. After she climbed out of the plane, Emma made a beeline through the crowd, directly toward Alyssa.

“I’m assuming you passed? Congrats, Nolan.”

“Why’d you stick around?” Emma asked. “You finished a while ago.”

Alyssa shrugged. “You seemed nervous. I thought I’d stay for… moral support, I guess.”

“Well, I appreciate it, Greene,” Emma said, a shy smile on her lips.

Alyssa ignored the way her heart began to beat just a little bit faster. “You hungry?” she asked, nodding toward the mess hall.

“Starved,” Emma replied.

They made their way across the open airfield toward the mess hall, and Alyssa tried not to think about the way the late afternoon sun made hazel eyes turn golden.

* * *

The sharp sound of a bell ringing woke Alyssa up earlier than she wanted to be awake. They were still in the first few weeks of their training program and Alyssa had not yet grown accustomed to the six o’clock wake up call. The rest of their barracks were slowly shuffling to life around her as Alyssa slowly sat up in bed and stretched with a groan.

As she opened her eyes, she noticed Emma across from her, still sound asleep. How she always managed to snooze through that damn bell, Alyssa had not a clue. She grabbed a pillow from her own bed and took aim for her new favorite morning chore: waking Emma.

Alyssa chucked the pillow five feet and nailed her directly in the face. Emma groaned and shot upright in bed.

“Morning, Nolan,” Alyssa called with a cheeky grin as she climbed out of bed and gathered her toiletries for a quick shower.

Emma glared at her, still half asleep. “I hate you,” she mumbled.

“No you don’t.”

“No I don’t.”

Alyssa stalked off to the bathrooms, leaving Emma to get ready for another day of training.

Their mornings usually started at six-thirty. After getting ready for the day and donning their uniform jumpsuits, they would line up outside for rigorous military training. If they wanted to fly like the men, they needed to train like the men. Trainers put them through morning exercise routines, which involved intense cardio, and a mile and a half run to start the day.

After their morning workout, they would have breakfast in the mess hall. Everyone was usually too exhausted to talk, just taking in the calories they needed to get through the morning.

Then would commence their morning classes. If they wanted to fly, they needed to learn all about the planes they would be flying, and they needed to be able to communicate with other pilots and military officers. They learned Morse code, and other basic military language, which they would be tested on before they could move onto advanced training. The Morse code specifically was kicking Alyssa’s butt. She was always good at what she did, so it was frustrating for her to struggle with something like this.

After their classes, they would break for lunch. Alyssa usually ate with Shelby, Kaylee, and Emma. Their whole class was only made up of forty two women so they were all rather close, but the four of them became very fast friends.

The afternoon was spent on practical training. Practicing their use of various codes, spending hours in flight simulators, getting in whatever extra practice they could. This continued on until they broke for dinner, and then had free hours before bed.

Alyssa often spent her free time, poring over the Morse alphabet, trying to ingrain it into her brain, until the lights went out for the day. After the lights went out, she spent all her time before she fell asleep willing herself not to forget it. It never worked as well as she hoped it would.

One night, as Alyssa studied once again, Emma plopped down on Alyssa’s bed next to her.

“What do you want, Nolan?” Alyssa asked, without taking her eyes off her paper. “I’m busy.”

“Too busy to sneak out of the airfield and into the city for a night of adventure?”

Alyssa looked up at Emma and realized she was not wearing their typical zoot suit, or anything casual like they normally would in their free time. Emma was dressed in dark brown slacks and a crisp white button up. Alyssa felt her cheeks flush with heat, but cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow in question.

“Dee Dee Allen is in Sweetwater for the night, so some of the girls want to take advantage and give ourselves a little freedom. We’re going to head into the city for a drink and some dancing,” Emma explained. “So far it’s me, Shelby, Kit Robinson, and Maggie Avery. Shelby was going to invite Kaylee, and I came to get you.”

Alyssa frowned. “As much as I would love to, I really have to study.”

“Exams aren’t for a few weeks. Come on, Greene, it’ll be fun!”

“I’m sorry, I just haven’t gotten a handle on Morse code yet, and at this rate I don’t know if I will.” Alyssa let out an exasperated sigh. “Have a drink for me, though.”

Emma pouted, but Alyssa just rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her studying. “Tell you what,” Emma said, snatching the paper from Alyssa’s grasp. Alyssa began to protest and reached for it, but Emma jumped out of the way and held it over her head, out of Alyssa’s reach. “If you come out tonight and let me buy you a drink, I’ll help you learn Morse code. I’m pretty good at it.”

“You’re pretty good at Morse code?”

“I already knew it,” Emma said with a shrug. “My grandma taught it to me when I was a kid for fun. Who knew it would come in handy later?” She laughed.

Alyssa glared at her, eyeing her study paper. “You promise you’ll help me?”

“Cross my heart.” Emma took her right hand and made an X over her heart with a dramatic flourish.

Eventually, Alyssa sighed in defeat. “Fine. I’ll come.” Emma whooped with joy. She dropped her study paper back onto the bed. “But I’m not staying late! I want to be back here by eleven.”

“Yeah, yeah, back by midnight, I got it. Get ready and meet us outside in ten minutes.”

“You heard what I said, Nolan!”

Emma ignored Alyssa’s complaints as she marched outside.

It ended up being about a dozen girls going out, and they found themselves at a quaint little bar somewhere in Houston. Alyssa was from a small town in Indiana, so she wasn’t really used to the whole bar scene, but Emma was true to her word and bought her a beer.

Half of the women in their group were married, and were happy for a simple night out with their friends. The other half were single, and immediately found a man to latch onto the moment they walked inside.

And then that left Emma and Alyssa. She didn’t think Emma was married, but now that she thought about it, she wasn’t quite sure. It’s not like she had ever asked. But now, she found herself curious.

“Are you married?” Alyssa asked, raising her voice to be heard over the music from the jukebox.

“Me?” Emma asked incredulously. “Oh gosh, no. What about you?”

“Nope,” Alyssa answered, “much to the disappointment of my mother.”

“Well, maybe finding a man tonight will make her happy,” Emma half teased. “Why aren’t you out there?”

Alyssa opened her mouth to reply, but closed it again when she realized she had no answer. “You know, I’m not really sure. Maybe as a slight act of rebellion against my mom? Even if she’ll never know.”

Emma chuckled. “I’ll drink to that,” she said, and clinked her beer bottle against Alyssa’s, taking a sip.

“Why aren’t you out there?” Alyssa found herself asking, curious as to why there was not one, but two single women not even bothering to mingle with the many suitors at this bar.

Emma shrugged. “I guess I’ve never been all that fond of men,” she said, hesitant. “I’m not sure I even want to get married.”

She seemed nervous about her words, but kept her eyes locked on Alyssa’s. It felt like there was something more she wanted to say, but Alyssa couldn’t quite figure out what exactly it was.

Suddenly, the slow song that played on the jukebox changed to a more jovial tune. Emma’s face lit up. “I love this song!” She quickly finished the rest of her beer, then jumped up from her seat and held out a hand to Alyssa. “Come on,” she nodded toward the dance floor. “We can still have some fun.”

Alyssa felt her cheeks heat up as she looked up at Emma. She wasn’t sure why the idea of dancing with Emma was affecting her like this. They were two good friends, and friends would dance together all the time. Alyssa hesitated, unsure if she should, but Emma’s eyes had a thrilled fire behind them, and as she wiggled her fingers, Alyssa couldn’t resist the temptation.

She slipped her hand into Emma’s, and let Emma pull her up out of her seat and drag her onto the dance floor.

They were mostly surrounded by couples, but the two of them paid no mind to everyone else. Emma spun Alyssa into a quick twirl before she let go of her hand, and they began to bounce to the rhythm of the song. Alyssa found herself laughing as she danced with Emma, forgetting all her worries for a blissful moment where the only things that mattered were the music in her ears and the woman in front of her.

Eventually, the married ladies joined them on the dance floor. Alyssa found herself losing track of time, and before she knew it, she felt Emma’s hand in her own once again as she was being tugged off the dance floor and led out of the bar.

“What are you doing?” Alyssa asked.

“It’s almost midnight,” Emma said. “Sorry I kept you a little later than I promised.”

Alyssa fell into step next to her as they walked toward the cab that waited for them at the end of the street. She glanced down between them where Emma still held her hand, and instead of pulling away, Alyssa gave a light squeeze, and fought the blush on her cheeks. “I hadn’t even noticed it was so late.”

As they approached the vehicle, Emma opened the door for Alyssa. She climbed into the backseat, and was surprised when Emma clambered in after her.

“Why are you coming?” Alyssa asked. The cab lurched forward and began taking them back to the airfield.

“What kind of a lady would I be if I didn’t make sure you arrived home safely?” Emma said, and Alyssa laughed. “Besides, I didn’t want to be stuck by myself with all the married gals talking about their husbands, and all the single ladies trying to find one.”

“Well, thank you for convincing me to come out tonight,” Alyssa sighed, leaning back on her seat. “I had a lot of fun.”

“I’m glad you did.”

“And I’m holding you to your promise.”

“Hm?”

“You’re teaching me Morse code!”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Emma nodded. “We can start now, if you’d like?”

Emma reached out her hand and tapped something onto Alyssa’s leg. Alyssa’s dress was long, past her knees, but the feeling of Emma’s hand on her thigh sent a shiver down her back and she wasn’t sure why. It was hard to focus on the tapping, and Alyssa found she missed half of Emma’s message.

“What did you say?”

“Oh no,” Emma said with a mock frown. “It’s worse than I thought.”

Alyssa glared and shoved Emma playfully on the shoulder. “Don’t be an ass, just tell me what it means!”

“Okay, okay,” Emma laughed. “We’ll start your lessons with probably the most important phrase you should know.” Emma tapped out the same pattern on her leg. “S… O… S.”

“Oh,” Alyssa muttered. That was definitely something she should already know. She felt dumb.

“Here, see how the beginning and the end are exactly the same?” Emma asked, as she tapped it out once again. “That’s the S. And the middle is the O.”

Alyssa felt like she couldn’t breathe. “Yeah,” she choked out. “I feel the difference.”

Emma began to absently tap out a different pattern, which Alyssa quickly lost track of. “What do you think you’re having a problem with?” she asked. “Memorizing the alphabet and utilizing it, or understanding messages you receive?”

Alyssa shrugged. “Honestly, both. I feel like no matter how much I study, I keep forgetting everything every time I look away.”

“You’re probably just not using it enough,” Emma said. “Practice makes perfect. I’ll help you practice.”

“Thanks, Nolan,” Alyssa muttered. She stifled a yawn, suddenly realizing how tired she was.

“Anytime, Greene.”

* * *

As the weeks flew by, the women grew closer and closer to their exams and second test flights. With Emma’s help, Alyssa found herself getting better at Morse code, and more confident in her ability to use it.

When Emma said she would help her practice, Alyssa had assumed she meant simply help her study. What she didn’t expect was for Emma to tap out random messages in Morse code and quiz her on them when she least expected it. Eventually, Alyssa became good enough to respond to her messages, and sometimes she found herself talking with Emma well past lights out as the two tapped out simple messages on the frame of their beds, only loud enough for each other to hear while the rest of their classmates slept.

Alyssa found it exciting. It wasn’t necessarily a secret language, everyone here had to know it, but they weren’t exactly looking for it if they weren’t in training. No one expected Morse code when they were eating lunch or heading to bed, but Alyssa was always listening for Emma’s secret messages.

Sometimes, at lunch, Emma would tap out a funny comment when Alyssa had a mouthful of food, which she would spit out when she started laughing. Shelby and Kaylee must have thought she was crazy, but Emma never said anything, and did her best to hide her amused smirk.

As their tests approached, Alyssa’s confidence grew, but Emma’s waned. Alyssa was concerned, but she didn’t know what was wrong. Emma was excelling in all their classes, what could she be worried about? Unless… Alyssa remembered their first day, their first test flight, and how anxious Emma had been before that.

A few days before their exams, a crisp spring evening in late March, Alyssa took Emma’s hand after dinner and instead of dragging her back to their bunks where everyone else was heading, she walked them out to the airfield. They didn’t spend much time on the runway, usually training, studying in classrooms, or practicing simulations. Occasionally they would go out to study the different types of aircraft they were learning about, but they weren’t allowed to fly without a supervisor yet.

“Where are we going?” Emma asked with a confused frown.

Alyssa shrugged. “I thought it’d be a nice night for a walk.” Emma gave her a look that said she didn’t totally believe her, but continued to walk with her. Alyssa felt Emma’s eyes on her until her resolve began to crack and she sighed, “I know you’re nervous.”

“What?” Emma was quick to deflect. “I’m not nervous.”

“You are,” Alyssa said. “Anytime our test flights are mentioned you freeze up.” Emma immediately stopped walking. “Like that! Look, you helped me out when I needed it, and I want to do the same for you. I just don’t know what you need.”

Emma stared down at her feet, not making eye contact, not moving. Alyssa took a step back toward her and squeezed her arm, reassuring her.

“You can trust me, Nolan.”

Finally, Emma looked up. She looked around, as if to check if they were alone, then took Alyssa’s arm and walked her further away from the aircraft, out of earshot, as if she thought someone might be hiding in the cockpit of one of the planes to eavesdrop on them. She looked at Alyssa, and her eyes were filled with a deep worry. Alyssa wanted to make it go away. She was pale, nervous, but took a deep breath to speak.

“I never completed the required thirty hours of flying,” she blurted out. “I lied on my application.”

“What?” Alyssa gasped. “Why?”

“I have my pilot’s license, of course, and I got as many hours as I could, but when you don’t own a plane it’s expensive to fly. I emptied out my savings, sold my guitar, borrowed money from my grandma, and it still wasn’t enough. I put everything I had into this, I had to at least try.” Emma buried her face in her hands and sighed. “So I lied on my application. And I got in.”

“How many hours did you get?”

“Twenty seven.”

Alyssa frowned. “You really think three hours will make a difference?”

“It might!” Emma exclaimed. “I’m just terrified I’ll mess something up in the next test flight and they’ll realize that I don’t deserve to be here and kick me out of the program. I can’t go back home.”

Emma’s breath was shaky, and Alyssa realized she was crying. Without hesitation, Alyssa lunged forward and wrapped her in a warm hug. “You deserve to be here,” Alyssa muttered into her ear. “You are just as smart and capable as all the other women here. You are going to have the best flight these military schmucks have ever seen because I know you can do it, and you are going to be one kickass pilot yourself.”

Emma sighed in her arms and pulled back slightly. Her eyes were red, but she looked to Alyssa. “You really think so?”

Alyssa gave her a confident smile. “I’ve seen you these past few months. I know so.”

Emma chuckled softly, and regarded Alyssa with a look of wonder that made Alyssa’s heart stop. The feeling made her anxious, so she quickly cleared her throat and stepped back.

“So why didn’t you tell me you can play the guitar, Nolan?”

Emma rolled her eyes and answered with a short laugh. “Maybe I didn’t want you to know.”

“Can you sing too?” Alyssa teased. “I’m going to need a show sometime.”

“This is exactly why I didn’t tell you,” Emma grumbled, mock annoyed. She turned around and began to storm back to the barracks. Alyssa chased after her, laughing with glee.

As they returned to their bunks, Emma seemed much more relaxed than she had been the last few days. They stepped inside and were hit with a wave of pleasant chatter as all the women they lived with were relaxing, enjoying their free time before bed this afternoon. Helen Woods sat on her bed, reading a romance novel. Shelby and Kaylee were chatting amiably with Maggie and Loretta, and there was a group of women, huddled in the back corner, talking in hushed voices and giggling.

Alyssa couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her friends and classmates content and carefree this evening. It was amazing how the group had bonded and grown closer than Alyssa had ever imagined. It was amazing how quickly, not the place, but these people, were starting to feel like home.

They sauntered over to their bunks, and Alyssa dug through her belongings for the book she was reading. She was almost finished with it, so Alyssa was content to settle on her bed and read the last few chapters tonight, but before she could even find the book, there was a knock at the door.

The chatter quieted a bit, but quickly picked back up again. Emma and Alyssa exchanged a confused glance. No one typically knocked on their door. The only visitors they got were women from other barracks, or Dee Dee, and they would all usually just barge inside.

Loretta, being the closest, got up to open the door, and standing outside was a delivery boy.

“Telegram from the war department.” Upon hearing those words, the room became deadly silent. Everyone knew what a telegram meant. “For one Amanda Boomer?”

Alyssa stood upon hearing her friend’s name, and slowly stalked down the hall toward them.

Loretta took the note from him with a frown. “I’ll give it to her.” She closed the door with a soft thud.

Each step Alyssa took echoed throughout the room. She made it closer and sat on the bed across from Kaylee and Shelby. Alyssa felt like she couldn’t breathe, until she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up to find that Emma had followed her, and stood behind her. Alyssa put her hand on top of Emma’s and squeezed tight. She felt so helpless as she watched her friend’s world about to shatter.

The whole room held their breath as Loretta handed the telegram to Kaylee.

Kaylee was ghostly white as she stared at the paper in her hands, tears threatening to spring to her eyes. “I— I can’t.” She shoved the piece of paper into Shelby’s hands.

“Do you want me to read it for you?” Shelby asked, her voice gentle, as she held her close. Kaylee nodded into her shoulder. Shelby’s hands shook as she unfolded the paper and cleared her throat. “ _ The secretary of war desires me to express… _ ” She sighed and her face fell just before she read the next words, “ _ his deepest sympathies that your husband, First Lieutenant Nicholas Boomer, was killed in action—” _

The rest of her words were drowned out by Kaylee’s sobs.

* * *

A somber air overtook, not just their class, but the entire WASP training camp as news of Kaylee’s husband spread. There was less excited chatter at lunch and dinner, and more hushed whispers, and occasional sobs from some of the more emotional women.

Kaylee had her belongings packed up the day after she heard the news. She promised to return to complete her training eventually, but she needed to take some time. She needed to plan a funeral, she needed to see her in-laws, and she needed time to mourn. Alyssa sent her off with warm wishes and the tightest hug she could muster, wishing that she could somehow squeeze the grief out of her friend, but she knew it didn’t work that way.

Despite everything that was happening, Alyssa still found the confidence in herself to pass all her exams with flying colors. She knew she never could have done it without Emma’s help, so she needed to find some way to repay her.

For now, she settled for giving Emma’s hand a reassuring squeeze just before Emma left the bunks to go to her second test flight. “You’ve got this,” she muttered.

Emma was still nervous, but she thanked Alyssa with a timid smile.

These flights were longer and more intensive. They were scheduled for an hour throughout the week, and Alyssa’s flight wasn’t until the next day, so she waited in nervous anticipation for Emma to return and to hear how she did. Alyssa grabbed a book and began to read, but every time her eyes glossed over the page, her brain would not comprehend a single thing she read, too preoccupied with thoughts of Emma. Alyssa had every confidence that Emma would pass, but she still prayed for Emma to do well.

It was a little over an hour later that Emma strolled back into the room. Alyssa quickly looked up from her book, still on the same page as she was an hour ago, and sat upright as Emma stopped in her tracks at the foot of her bed.

“Well?” Alyssa prompted.

Emma pursed her lips, before turning them up in an excited grin. “I passed!”

Alyssa let out an excited squeal and leapt out of bed. She flung her arms around Emma’s shoulders and gave her an excited hug. “I told you!”

In her excitement, Emma threw her arms around Alyssa’s waist, surprising her as she lifted her off her feet and spun her around. Alyssa’s heart felt light and giddy at the feeling of Emma holding her like this, but once again, she shoved the feeling away. She still had her test flight tomorrow, after all. She needed to focus.

“Once this week is over, we’ll celebrate before advanced training kicks our asses.”

“I’m holding you to that promise, Greene.”

Alyssa passed her second test flight with no problems, as she expected. There were two women who did not pass either exams or their test flights, so they needed to stay back and join the next class along to retake their exams, but that left a total of thirty nine women in their class who were moving onto advanced training.

As everyone was in their bunks, chatting with each other, excited about finally getting back in the air, Dee Dee Allen barged in to make an announcement.

“As you may know, we have been prepping another training facility more equipped to handle the sheer number of women going through the WASP training program,” Dee Dee explained. “Well, Avenger Field is finally ready.”

“Avenger Field?” Kit piped up. Alyssa glanced to Emma, an unspoken question in her eyes, but Emma just shrugged. They both turned their attention back to the front.

Dee Dee nodded. “Pack your bags, ladies. We’re moving to Sweetwater for your advanced training. Bus leaves at oh six hundred tomorrow.”


	2. Hold Your Future In Your Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April 1943
> 
> Waking up early in the mornings had never been one of Emma Nolan’s strong suits. A six o’clock wake up call every day was difficult enough, but waking up in time to leave by six? Nearly impossible. The bus probably would have left her behind in Houston if not for her savior, Alyssa Greene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kind words and support on the first chapter! This is a lot of fun to research and write. I’m very excited about where it’s going and can’t wait for you all to see what’s in store!

**April 1943**

Waking up early in the mornings had never been one of Emma Nolan’s strong suits. A six o’clock wake up call every day was difficult enough, but waking up in time to leave _ by _ six? Nearly impossible. The bus probably would have left her behind in Houston if not for her savior, Alyssa Greene.

As much as Emma liked to complain about Alyssa throwing a pillow at her head every day, it was probably her new favorite way to wake up.

Emma’s bag was already packed, save for the clothes she would be wearing for the journey today. She had opted for a comfortable pair of jeans, since they were due to be on a bus for eight hours. Emma had even made sure to shower the night before, just to ensure she wouldn’t be running late in the morning.

“Get your ass out of bed, Nolan,” Alyssa called out when Emma still hadn’t sat upright a minute after she threw the pillow.

Emma bit back the, “Make me,” that threatened to spill past her lips. Instead, she rubbed her eyes before opening them and rolled over in bed. After fumbling for her glasses and putting them on, she saw that Alyssa was already ready to go, wearing a comfortable dress, messy curls tied up in a ponytail, and her fully packed bag sitting on the ground next to her. She sat on her bed, watching Emma expectantly.

“Don’t make me come over there,” Alyssa warned.

Emma glared at her, but pulled herself to an upright sitting position. “There,” she grumbled. “Happy?”

“Very,” Alyssa smiled. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Emma yawned. She got to her feet and stretched, then took off her pants and reached for the jeans she was going to wear.

“Um—“ Alyssa quickly stood from her bed, and Emma noticed the blush coloring her cheeks. “I’ll, uh, save you a seat?”

“Sounds good,” Emma said as she pulled on her jeans. She waved as Alyssa darted off. _ That was weird _, she thought.

Alyssa was always awake before her, and was usually out the door before Emma had even started getting dressed, so maybe she just wasn’t used to seeing Emma without her pants on. Though they had been sharing a room with a dozen other women for the last three months, so Alyssa should be used to that kind of sight by now.

Emma shrugged it off as she changed her top, then darted to the bathroom to fix her hair and brush her teeth. By the time she returned to her bed to gather her suitcase, she was the last person left inside. She quickly grabbed the handle and darted outside.

There was a row of buses where women were lined up to put away their bags in the luggage hold. Emma scanned the crowd, searching for Alyssa, praying that she didn’t get on the wrong bus. Finally she spotted Alyssa waving to her as she climbed onto the first bus in the line and quickly rushed over.

Emma checked the time on her wristwatch as she went to check in with Dee Dee. Five fifty nine. Barely made it.

“Cutting it close, Miss Nolan.”

“Hey, I made it, didn’t I?” Emma countered with a cheeky grin.

“Just get on the damn bus.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Emma brushed past her and eventually filtered onto the bus with the rest of the women. She expected to spend a moment searching for Alyssa, but was surprised to find her sitting at the very front, her purse on the spot next to her as she gazed out the window.

Emma leaned in, resting an arm on the back of the seat. “Is this seat taken?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m saving it for Shelby,” Alyssa replied, not even glancing back at her. Emma’s face fell, and as she stuttered for a retort, Alyssa spun around, a teasing smirk on her lips. “I’m kidding. You know it’s yours.”

Alyssa gathered her purse into her lap and patted the spot next to her, welcoming Emma to sit. Emma did so, trying to fight the blush that colored her cheeks. She cleared her throat.

“Why did you pick the very front?” Emma asked.

“We’re going to make a pit stop at some point,” Alyssa explained. “Front of the bus means we’re the first ones off and at the front of the bathroom lines.”

“You’re smart,” Emma mused. “I like you.”

“I already knew that.”

“_ Ladies! _ Get in your seats!” Dee Dee called out as she stepped onto the bus. “Our first and only stop is in five hours, so prepare yourselves for a long trip.” She hit the dashboard twice with the palm of her hand, getting the driver’s attention. “Let’s get out of here.”

As the bus lurched forward, Dee Dee stepped down the rows to find an empty seat. Alyssa turned to Emma, her excited grin making the adorable dimple on her cheek appear. “You think you can deal with me for five hours, Nolan?”

Emma hesitated, lost for a moment in her deep brown eyes. She forced a chuckle. “It sounds like my own personal hell,” she joked.

Alyssa rolled her eyes. “Dick,” she muttered. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. Emma’s eyes studied the toned muscles as they flexed for a moment, before she quickly averted her gaze.

It was definitely going to be Emma’s own personal hell, but probably not for the reasons Alyssa thought.

Alyssa reached into her purse and pulled out a banana, offering it to Emma. “Here,” she said. “I figured you wouldn’t have time to eat.”

Almost immediately, Emma’s stomach audibly growled. They both laughed as Emma graciously accepted the banana. “God, I love you,” she said, hoping Alyssa couldn’t hear in her voice exactly how much she meant it.

The bus ride was just as long and uncomfortable as Emma anticipated. She wished she could go back to sleep, but was just awake enough that it was impossible to doze off with the incessant chatter of the women behind her. Even if she was able to tune it out long enough to begin to drift off, every time the bus drove over a pothole or bumpy road, the shock would startle her awake again, much to Alyssa’s amusement.

She couldn’t even read because she sometimes got motion sickness and would definitely get a headache if she was trying to decipher words on a page as the bus went over another pothole.

Alyssa didn’t seem to have any problem with that, as she leaned against the window, a book open on her knee, eyes flitting across the page. Emma gave a dramatic sigh and leaned against her.

“What’s wrong?” Alyssa asked, without looking up from her pages.

“I’m bored,” Emma huffed. “How much longer do we have.”

“Four and a half hours.”

“Jesus Christ. I thought it had at least been an hour.”

Alyssa chuckled and gently closed her book, keeping a finger in place to hold her page and turned her head to glare at Emma. “You’re insufferable.”

Emma eyed the cover of her book curiously. “What are you reading?”

“Busman’s Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers,” Alyssa said, glancing down at the cover. “It’s a mystery novel. Last one in the series.”

“I love a good mystery,” Emma reached out to grab the book and inspect it further, but Alyssa swatted her hand away.

“Don’t you have your own book to read?” Alyssa asked with a playful glare.

“Can’t,” Emma frowned. “Motion sickness. I’ll get a headache.”

“You’re a _ pilot _, Nolan,” Alyssa deadpanned.

“Well it’s not like I make a habit of reading and flying.”

“I’d be concerned if you did,” Alyssa muttered, then opened her book and turned her gaze back to the page.

“Wait, Greene, don’t leave me!” Emma poked at her side. “What am I supposed to do for four and a half hours if you don’t talk to me?”

“I really want to finish this book,” Alyssa said with a frown. Then her eyes lit up as she got an idea. “I can read to you? If you promise not to bother me.”

Emma realized that there’s nothing she’d rather do than listen to Alyssa’s voice for four and a half hours. “Um,” Emma cleared her throat. “Sure. If you don’t mind.”

“You might be a little confused at first, but I don’t mind reading to you. You ready?”

Emma brought her foot up onto the seat, adjusting to make herself more comfortable. She rested her head against her knee, then looked at Alyssa and nodded.

Alyssa took a breath, then looked down at the page. “_ Chapter four: Household Gods. Lady Peter Wimsey propped herself cautiously on one elbow and contemplated her sleeping lord. With the mocking eyes hidden and the confident mouth relaxed, his big, bony nose and tumbled hair gave him a gawky, fledgling look, like a schoolboy. And the hair itself was almost as light as tow— it was ridiculous that anything male should be as fair as that. No doubt—” _

“I thought you said this was a mystery novel.”

Alyssa groaned. “I told you you would be confused at first.”

“I’m just saying,” Emma defended with a shrug. “It sounds more like romance than mystery. I’d rather have the mystery.”

“There’s been a murder, he’s just on his honeymoon at the same time. Hold your horses, we’ll get back to the murder eventually.”

“I have little patience for romance.”

“Clearly.” Alyssa rolled her eyes, but nudged Emma with her elbow. “What, you never liked reading romance novels? Watching movies? Ever had a boyfriend?”

Emma couldn’t help the hearty laugh that she let out at the insinuation. “Sorry,” she quickly said as her laughter died down. “No, no, and definitely not. I don’t know. The stories are fun, but waiting for a handsome man to sweep me off my feet and propose marriage after I’ve known him a week? Not really something I want. I’ve yet to find any romance story that I can see myself in.”

“You’ve never met someone that you wanted to sweep you off your feet?” Alyssa questioned.

_ You _, was the immediate thought that came to Emma’s mind, but she wasn’t going to say that out loud. Instead she just shrugged, and prayed that Alyssa didn’t notice the blush that colored her cheeks.

Alyssa sighed. “Well, I don’t really see myself in them either,” she confessed. “That’s why I usually read more of the murder mysteries. All the romance novels can be unrealistic, but sometimes, when I want to pretend, they’re fun to read.” She seemed to be lost in thought for a moment until she shook her head, blinking, and then glared at Emma. “Anyway, I told you, this isn’t a romance novel! Now are you going to let me read or not?”

Emma chuckled and looked down at her shoes, unable to hold Alyssa’s gaze for longer than a few seconds. “Yes ma’am.”

Emma thought she had annoyed Alyssa into silence, but Alyssa cleared her throat and continued to read aloud. Her voice was quiet and soft, unlike the shrill voices that carried from the back of the bus. She spoke each word with enthusiasm, and even put on little voices when the characters had dialogue. Emma was enthralled.

Listening to Alyssa’s mellifluous voice was mesmerizing, and the hours passed by even faster than Emma realized. Before she knew it, the bus was grinding to a halt in a small town just outside of Fort Worth a little before noon.

“We will be departing in exactly one hour!” Dee Dee called out over the racket as the women stood up, ready to make their way off the bus. “Get some lunch, go to the bathroom, stretch your legs, and for the love of god, don’t be late.”

Emma and Alyssa exchanged a quick look before they darted off the bus before anyone else. Emma’s bladder was full and she was extremely grateful for Alyssa’s smart planning in grabbing their seats.

As they stepped into the warm spring sunshine, Emma happily stretched her legs while she frantically looked around for a bathroom. Alyssa squinted and dug through her purse for sunglasses. She pulled a pair of aviators over her eyes and looked around.

“Over there,” she nudged Emma and pointed to a diner across the street. “I’ll grab us a table while you use the restroom?”

“Sounds perfect,” Emma nodded in agreement before she darted across the street, leaving Alyssa in the dust.

Emma was thankful that they beat the crowd, because by the time she stepped out of the restroom there was a line out the door, and every table was jam packed with women trying to get a quick bite to eat before the buses continued on their journey. She scanned the room for Alyssa and found her crammed into a booth in the corner with Shelby, Maggie, and Helen, but as promised, she had left an open spot for Emma.

Alyssa waved her over and shoved Helen out of the way so that Emma could sit down, and once she did, she had to scoot all the way over to make room on the bench. She was pressed right up against Alyssa’s side. Emma stretched her arms out and rested them along the back of the bench.

“I already ordered for you,” Alyssa leaned in closer and muttered into her ear. “Hope that’s okay.”

Alyssa’s voice in her ear almost made Emma sigh, but she stopped before she had embarrassed herself. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

As they waited for their food, the women at the table began to chat amongst themselves.

“I’m so excited to start advanced training,” Shelby said.

“Me too!” Maggie chimed in. “It’ll be nice to just fly without someone grading our every move.”

“I heard advanced training is a lot less structure and we’re free to fly whenever we get the chance,” Helen added.

“I think they’re assigning us flying partners! Who do you want as your partner?”

“I would’ve said Kaylee,” Shelby said with a sigh, “But she’s still back home in Jersey.”

Alyssa frowned and reached across the table to place her hand on top of Shelby’s. “Just give her some time. I’m sure she’ll be back with us soon enough.”

“I’m just worried about her. Widowed before she’s thirty? I know it’s more common these days with the war, but I just can’t even imagine.”

“She’s strong,” Emma said, with a grim smile. “She’ll get through this.”

“She is,” Shelby gave a wistful sigh, then shook her head. “Anyway, sorry. I didn’t mean to darken the mood. Who are you hoping for as your flying partner, Nolan?”

Emma gave a sideways glance toward Alyssa who rested her chin in her hands, looking at her expectantly. Then, Emma shrugged. “I’d be happy with any one of you.”

“Oh come on,” Maggie exclaimed as she crumpled up a napkin and threw it at Emma. “You can say Greene, we all know you’re thinking it.” Emma’s cheeks blushed as she avoided Alyssa’s smug gaze.

“You two are practically inseparable,” Helen agreed with a nod. “Honestly, I’ll laugh if you _ don’t _ get partnered up.”

Alyssa just laughed and threw an arm over Emma’s shoulders, pulling her closer into her side. “She doesn’t like to admit it, but she loves me.”

Emma, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks, was spared from having to respond when their food was delivered. Chatter at the table died down so they could focus on eating. Emma munched on a burger and fries; it wasn’t anything special, just your standard run of the mill diner food. It was greasy and filled her up, and that was what mattered. Alyssa had ordered a chocolate milkshake with her food, which Emma eyed hungrily.

When she thought Alyssa wasn’t looking, Emma swiped one of her fries and dipped it into the shake. “Hey!” Alyssa squealed as she turned around, catching Emma red-handed with a fry in her mouth. Apparently she was paying attention.

Emma quickly swallowed the bite. “What? You didn’t order a milkshake for me.”

“Well you have your own fries!”

“Yours taste better.”

Alyssa rolled her eyes, but reached over and swiped a handful of Emma’s fries. She dipped them into the chocolate shake then popped one into her mouth. “Hm, actually I think yours taste better.”

Emma was at a loss for words, too distracted by the playful smirk that Alyssa had on her lips. She hoped she wasn’t too obviously a blushing mess and turned her attention back to her own food.

Eventually, everyone had eaten their fill, stretched their legs, gone to the bathroom, and was ready to depart for their last few hours journey on the bus. Emma and Alyssa secured the same seat as before, so they were once again at the front of the bus. This time, Emma got on the bus first and sat down at the window seat.

As Alyssa plopped down next to her, she stifled a yawn. “I think I ate too much,” she mumbled. “I’m so tired.”

“Does that mean you’re not going to keep reading?” Emma pouted. “It was just getting good.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll read,” Alyssa said with a chuckle.

Alyssa dug through her purse for her book and opened it up to where they had left off. She placed it on her lap, leaned her head against Emma’s shoulder, and began to read. Emma was content, gazing out the window and listening to Alyssa’s voice in her ears, but after only about ten minutes, Alyssa’s sentences began to trail off. She mumbled incoherently and paused randomly between words, until eventually, no sound came from her lips except for gentle snores.

Emma carefully turned her head and glanced at Alyssa with a fond smile. Her head was still on Emma’s shoulder, but her eyes had drifted closed, and her mouth hung open. There would probably be a bit of drool on Emma’s shirt later, but she couldn’t bring herself to care when Alyssa looked so adorable as her eyes were scrunched closed and one hand gripped loosely at the hem of Emma’s shirt.

Trying not to jostle her too much, Emma picked up the book, marked her page, and closed it. After she returned the book to its place in Alyssa’s purse, she closed her own eyes and rested her head atop Alyssa’s. With Alyssa’s warm body pressed against hers, and her gentle breath in her ear, Emma found herself dozing off rather easily.

* * *

Avenger Field was new and exciting. Everyone had the rest of their travel day to get situated in their new facility, and the barracks weren’t much different from back in Houston, but the next day meant their first day of advanced training.

Their entire class had lined up out on one of the runways, with Dee Dee up front, holding a clipboard. She glared at the lot of them. “I am proud of you all for making it this far, but be warned. Your advanced training is going to be far different from basic training.” She paced back and forth as she looked out into the group, making eye contact with every single woman. “This time around, you are expected to be self-sufficient. Now, don’t take that as an excuse to slack off. This is where your training matters the most because you will be working on your practical experience, and you are expected to hold each other accountable.”

There was a soft murmur through the crowd as they listened to her speak, knowing that the announcement of their partners would be coming up soon.

“Over the next three months each of you will be expected to have at least one hundred flight hours logged in order to graduate from this program and be placed on duty. You will no longer be flying with instructors, but with a partner. Your partner is someone you’re going to have to trust with your life, and if you don’t already, you’d better start working on it. Whenever one is flying, the other will be in the plane with them, working on their own flight navigation and communication. And as a reminder, you will need at least one hundred hours _ each _ , which makes two hundred total for the both of you! Get ready to spend _ a lot _ of time together. Any questions?”

Helen Woods raised her hand, and Dee Dee nodded at her. “Do we get to choose our partners?”

Dee Dee glared, pursed her lips, and then ignored her entirely. “If there are no questions, I will announce your partners right now.” She glanced around at the crowd, and no one else dared raise their hands. “Wonderful. First up, we have Loretta Lopez and Eleanor Figueroa.”

The two women were on opposite sides of the group, so once they caught each other’s attention, they began making their way toward each other.

“Next, Shelby Shields and Margaret Avery.”

Shelby nodded toward Maggie with a grin, and Maggie held up her hand for a quick high five.

“Alyssa Greene and Emma Nolan.”

Alyssa turned to Emma, sporting the biggest grin on her face. “Hope you’re not sick of me yet, Nolan.”

Two hundred hours with Alyssa.

Advanced training was going to be torture, but in the best possible way.

Later that afternoon, Emma and Alyssa walked out onto the runway, donning their aviator helmets and goggles, ready to climb into a Grumman F7F Tigercat for their first flight together. As they reached the base of the plane, they turned to each other.

“So, did you want to fly first?” Emma asked with a nervous chuckle.

“Oh, no, you can go,” Alyssa offered.

“Sorry, let me rephrase,” Emma frowned. “Can you please fly first?”

“Are you still nervous about it?” Alyssa questioned.

Emma just shrugged. “It was one thing when it was just me and the instructor. At least if I fucked up he could tell me what to do. But now it’s just me and you, and I don’t want to fuck up. What if… what if something goes wrong and it’s my fault, and you get hurt?”

“Nolan.” Alyssa grasped her by the arms, just above her elbows. She stopped rambling and met Alyssa’s concerned eyes. “I trust you.”

Emma took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She clenched her fists to still her shaking hands. Alyssa’s grip tightened on her arms, and that didn’t do much to calm her nerves, but Emma appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

“You’ve got this.”

Emma nodded along with her. “I’ve got this.”

Steeling herself, Emma climbed into the cockpit, and Alyssa quickly followed suit and settled into the seat behind her. They each pulled on a headset so they could communicate through the flight, and Emma began her pre-flight checks.

Once she had made sure everything was in order, she glanced over her shoulder. “You ready?”

Alyssa gave a confident nod, so Emma faced forward once again and advanced the throttle. The plane lurched forward, slowly at first, until Emma grew comfortable enough to accelerate. Once they were up to speed, she pulled back on the yoke and felt the familiar tug in her gut as the plane slowly lifted off the ground.

“There we go,” she muttered to herself. She chanced a look down and her heart soared as the airfield beneath them grew smaller and smaller.

Emma heard Alyssa sigh from behind her.

“What’s up?” she asked.

Alyssa gazed out the side of the plane as the clouds passed them by, the afternoon sun peeking through, lighting up open Texas countryside beneath them. It looked like something out of a painting.

“I just don’t think I’ll ever get tired of the view from up here,” Alyssa mused.

Emma grinned as she banked left to loop back around. “There’s nothing else like it in the world.”

Flying with Alyssa quickly became second nature for the both of them. They already spent so much time together that their partnership was an easy adjustment, and honestly took a lot of the pressure off. When Emma was in the air and she knew that Alyssa was right there with her, it was easier to relax and easier to trust in herself. Maybe it was because she knew Alyssa trusted her implicitly, and she felt the same about Alyssa.

She also loved watching Alyssa fly. The way her hair would whip in the wind in some of the smaller, open cockpit aircraft they would practice in, the way she bit her lip and furrowed her brow in concentration when she tried to make a difficult maneuver, the way she seemed so carefree, thousands of feet above the ground with Emma.

Getting to fly every day without having to answer to anyone was very freeing. Everyone felt more and more like real pilots. Lunchtime was now filled with regaling tales of exciting flights they had, how fast they were flying, how high they went, and of course, the thrilling feeling they all shared when they were in the cockpit.

“I tried a break defensive maneuver today!” Shelby squealed excitedly one day over her sandwich. WASPs weren’t trained for combat, but they were being taught defensive tactics to use, just in case of emergency, and it was one of the most exciting things they had learned so far. “Turned so sharp it nearly knocked the wind out of me, but I did it! I might move onto a wingover next—”

She stopped abruptly mid-sentence as her eyes caught sight of something across the room. Emma and the others turned around and followed her gaze to where she spotted Kaylee, back in their uniform jumpsuit, walking into the mess hall and chatting with a few women.

“Kaylee’s back,” Alyssa said with a smile.

Before anyone else could even get out of their seats, Shelby was already halfway across the room. “KAYLEE!” she called out.

Kaylee heard her name just in time to catch sight of Shelby so she wasn’t completely blindsided when she was tackled into a tight hug. Emma got out of her seat and jogged over, closely followed by Alyssa and Maggie.

“You’re back!” Shelby squealed.

Kaylee laughed. “I’m back.”

“How are you doing?” Emma asked.

Kaylee paused for a moment. “Better, I think,” she sighed. “And now I sort of realize even more how important it is that we’re doing this. It’s good to be back.”

Alyssa pushed Shelby out of the way who was still holding onto Kaylee, and embraced her. “It’s good to have you back, Kaylee.”

“I’m still finishing up basic training, but I’m on track to move onto advanced next week, so I’m not too far behind you all.”

“Wow, are we more advanced than the experienced pilot now?” Maggie teased.

“I think we are,” Shelby laughed, and the two high fived.

“Shut up,” Kaylee chuckled.

With the return of Kaylee, things seemed to become a little more familiar, and a little easier. The weeks flew by in a blur, and before they knew it, Alyssa had completed her one hundred hours, and Emma had only one more to go.

Emma was in the cockpit, practicing her defensive spiral. Her stomach churned a little at the motion, but she had gotten a lot better at powering through the nausea and it was almost to a point where she hardly noticed it anymore (unlike the first time she tried any sort of fancy flying when Alyssa had to hold her hair back as she practically threw herself out of the plane and puked right there on the runway. “You weren’t lying about that motion sickness,” Alyssa had joked. Emma flipped her off).

“Hey, Nolan,” Alyssa called out over the hum of the engine as Emma leveled out the plane.

“Yeah?”

“You just hit a hundred.”

“I did?” Emma glanced back at Alyssa who tapped a finger against her wristwatch.

“You did.”

Emma breathed out a sigh of relief and began to loop the aircraft back around toward base. They had been working their butts off, Emma especially, to complete their hours. Emma would be lying if she said she wasn’t just a little bit anxious about her slight lack of experience at the start of the program and was doing everything she could to make up for it. She finally made her one hundred hours, and now she couldn’t wait to get her feet on the ground again.

“What if we didn’t go back yet?” Alyssa asked.

Emma scoffed. “What, you want me to steal the plane?”

“Not steal! We’re still training, technically.” Emma just chuckled and kept on course. “I just thought… if you’re still worried about those three hours you missed, you have the time to make them up. Off the books, of course. Plus I wouldn’t mind a little extra time in the sky, just you and me.”

Emma chuckled to herself at Alyssa’s words. “How did you know I was still a little anxious about that?”

“Because I know you,” Alyssa laughed. “We’ve officially spent well over two hundred hours together, so I’d say I know you pretty damn well.”

“So, where to boss?” Emma asked, as she turned the aircraft again, back in the other direction.

“Wherever you want.”

Emma grinned, and suddenly pulled back on the yoke until the plane was careening almost vertically into the sky. They never flew too high, usually sticking to within the clouds or lower, but Emma pressed onward, speeding past the fluffy cloud cover, until finally she broke through above the layer to open, blue afternoon skies.

“Wow,” Alyssa breathed as she looked around at the fluffy white clouds beneath them and the vast blue above them. “It’s like a whole other world up here.”

If Emma hadn’t been piloting a damn plane she would have been tempted to take Alyssa’s hand in her own and lace their fingers together.

She was very glad she her hands were busy steering.

* * *

Graduation crept up on them quickly, and while Emma was excited to graduate, she was more excited that her grandma was able to visit for the ceremony. She had written a letter every week, and Betsy Nolan had promised she would be there in the front row to watch her graduate. Emma loved her new life, but she missed her grandma so much.

The day before graduation, though, everyone in their class would be receiving their official base assignments for the foreseeable future. Emma was a little nervous. She could be stationed anywhere in the country. She could end up all alone in the middle of nowhere. She could end up thousands of miles from the person who supported her through all of this even when Emma didn’t believe in herself.

Obviously she didn’t think she would be lucky enough that Alyssa would be sent to the exact same base, but she hoped that maybe they would wind up somewhere that was only a few short hours on the bus to visit. Emma had never had a best friend before, but that’s what Alyssa was, right? Her best friend.

She couldn’t be anything more than that, no matter how much Emma wanted.

It was just before dinner that Dee Dee entered their barracks with a stack of envelopes. She made her way around the room, passing out their assignments. Emma held her breath as she got closer and closer, until finally, Dee Dee held an envelope in front of her face. “Nolan,” she said.

Emma hesitantly reached out and took it from her hands. “Thanks.”

“Greene,” Dee Dee called out as she spun around. Emma watched as Alyssa took her own assignment.

Their eyes met as Dee Dee walked away. They could hear the excited whoops or interested whispers and the rustling of paper as everyone else opened theirs and learned where they would be in less than a week’s time. Alyssa got up from her own bed and sat down next to Emma. Neither one made any move to open their envelopes yet.

“You nervous?” Alyssa asked.

“A little.”

“We can do it together?”

Alyssa bumped her shoulder gently against Emma’s, getting her attention. She had a smile on her lips, and her eyes were wide and hopeful, and for a moment, Emma felt it too. Maybe it would all work out. Maybe they’d get lucky. Maybe she would still get to see those eyes every day.

She found herself nodding. “Okay.”

“On three, okay?” Alyssa said. “One.” 

Emma took her envelope in her hands and held it out in front of her. Alyssa did the same.

“Two.”

Emma chanced one last glance at Alyssa, who hadn’t looked away from her yet.

“Three.”

They tore open their envelopes together and pulled out their assignments. Emma’s eyes quickly scanned the page. All she was looking for was a location.

_ Pearl Harbor. _

Unless Alyssa had the exact same assignment, they were shit out of luck.

“Fort Davis,” Alyssa muttered, and Emma’s heart sank.

“Where’s that?” Emma asked, afraid to know the answer.

“North Carolina.”

“So like, the East Coast?”

“Yeah,” Alyssa sighed and set her letter aside. “What about you?”

“Pearl Harbor.”

Alyssa’s face fell. “Pearl Harbor? Like, the one that was bombed?”

Emma shrugged. “Is there another one?”

“I just mean— is it safe? It wasn’t that long ago.”

“Maybe it’s like lightning and they won’t bomb the same place twice.”

“That’s not funny.” Alyssa frowned.

“I’m not trying to be funny,” Emma muttered. “I’m… making the best of the situation. And hey, I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii. I can send you a postcard.” She grinned, but Alyssa didn’t look up, or laugh. “That time I was trying to be funny.”

Alyssa cleared her throat and got up from where she sat, still not looking at Emma. She cleared her throat. “Um, we should head to dinner.”

Emma glanced around at the room to see that mostly everyone had filtered out to the mess hall already after getting their assignments. “Yeah, sure.”

Emma was worried she had done something wrong. Once they got their food and found a table, Alyssa didn’t look at her or talk to her. Had she offended her somehow? Did she put her foot in her mouth and not even realize it?

Only able to scarf down a few small bites of food, Emma spent most of her time at dinner watching Alyssa who didn’t seem to have much of an appetite herself. Everyone else was so excited about their graduation tomorrow and their new jobs that they hardly paid any mind to Emma or Alyssa.

As Alyssa tried to slip out of the mess hall a little early, Emma was quick to follow her. She followed Alyssa back to the barracks and as Alyssa sat on her bed and buried her face in her hands, Emma stood, leaning against the back wall. She knew that Alyssa noticed her following, but cleared her throat regardless to not startle her.

“Did I do something?”

At her words, Alyssa looked up, a concerned frown on her lips. “What?”

Emma shrugged. “I just feel like you’re upset and I don’t know what I did. I’m sorry.” She shook her head.

“No,” Alyssa was quick to reassure her. “No, it’s not you. Come here.” She scooted over on her bed and made room for Emma to sit next to her. Emma set down, leaving a few inches space between them, mostly for her own sanity. “It’s stupid,” Alyssa sighed. “I was hoping we would still be together. You know, after training. I guess I was just a little disappointed.”

“Yeah, we’re going to be pretty far apart,” Emma sighed.

“I don’t think it’s physically possible for us to have been placed any further,” Alyssa chuckled. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let it upset me so much. I should have figured.”

“If it helps,” Emma muttered, “I’m pretty bummed too. Who’s going to wake me up every morning?”

That got a smile out of Alyssa. She playfully nudged Emma’s shoulder with her own. “You’ll have to figure out how to wake yourself up, I guess.”

Alyssa leaned her head against Emma’s shoulder with a soft sigh. Emma hoped that she couldn’t hear the erratic heartbeat within her chest, and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. After a moment, Alyssa spoke up again.

“Will you write?” Her voice was timid, barely audible. She sounded out of breath, and Emma realized she was trying not to cry.

Emma put an arm over her shoulder and held her close in a side hug. “Every week,” she promised.

Alyssa sniffled and wiped her eyes as she sat upright once again. She angled her body toward Emma and placed a hand on her knee, making her stomach churn more than the most violent turbulence. “I’m really going to miss you,” Alyssa whispered as another tear fell down her cheek.

Unthinkingly, Emma reached a hand out to her cheek. Her thumb swiped away the tear and lingered there for a moment. She felt like she couldn’t breathe as her gaze was fixed on Alyssa’s beautiful brown eyes. That was when she noticed, or maybe she only wished for it, as Alyssa’s eyes flitted down momentarily to her lips.

Emma blinked. She must have imagined it, right?

But then, Alyssa’s face inched closer, almost imperceptible, and the hand on her thigh tightened, just a little bit. Emma chanced a glance down at Alyssa’s lips.

She longed to know how soft Alyssa’s lips were, what they tasted like, how her breath felt against her own lips...

Just as Emma’s eyes were about to flutter closed, the door to the barracks flew open. Emma and Alyssa jumped so far apart that Emma almost flew off the bed, barely managing to catch herself on the dresser.

Alyssa’s cheeks were tinged slightly red, but she looked over at Emma with a shy smile. As their friends slowly made their way inside, Emma had to pretend like she wasn’t about to combust.

* * *

Betsy Nolan arrived early on the morning of graduation. In the middle of their morning workout, when Emma saw her grandma step off the bus, she stopped what she was doing to sprint full speed toward her and wrap her in the biggest hug she could muster, trying to make up for six months of missed embraces in one moment.

“There’s my Emma,” Betsy muttered, holding her granddaughter tight. “I almost didn’t recognize you, honey.”

“I missed you so much, gran.” Emma buried her face in her grandmother’s chest, enveloping herself in the familiar, comforting scent of her perfume.

Other friends and relatives of classmates were trailing off the bus and soon enough, most of their class had abandoned their morning workout to greet their loved ones.

She felt Betsy looking around at the crowd over her head. Emma pulled away and glanced up at her. “So where’s your friend Alyssa?” Betsy asked. “I’d love to meet her.”

Emma felt herself blush. “Gran, not right now, she’s probably—“

“Nolan!” As if on cue, she heard Alyssa’s voice calling for her, and spotted her across the crowd with an older red headed woman, waving her over.

“Is that her?” Betsy asked, her face brightening.

“Shush,” Emma grumbled as she dragged her grandma over in her direction.

“Mother,” Alyssa said as they approached, “this is Emma Nolan. She’s been my partner for advanced training, and she is the best friend and partner I could have ever hoped for.” Emma’s heart swelled as she caught sight of Alyssa’s proud grin as she introduced them. “Nolan, this is my mother.”

Emma nodded. “Mrs. Greene,” she said, holding out her hand. She accepted it in a firm handshake, and Emma was a little worried she might be trying to break her fingers, but smiled through the pain. “It’s a real pleasure to meet you.”

“You must be the Alyssa Greene I’ve heard so much about,” Betsy interjected, pulling Alyssa into a quick hug. “I’m Emma’s grandma, but you can just call me Betsy.”

“Oh?” Alyssa said, returning the embrace, and raising an eyebrow at Emma over Betsy’s shoulder and sending her a cheeky smile. “She’s mentioned me?”

“Can’t shut up about you in her letters,” Betsy said with a laugh.

“Gran!” Emma scolded, her cheeks flushing even more red, but Alyssa just gave her an endearing smile.

“Well, she talks about you all the time too, Betsy.”

“Alyssa, dear, would you care to show me around?” Mrs. Greene interjected. She turned to Emma and Betsy. “It’s a real pleasure to meet you both, but I would love to spend some time with my daughter now.”

“Of course, mother,” Alyssa said, her smile falling slightly. “I’ll see you in a bit.” She waved to Emma one last time as she walked off with her mother.

Betsy glanced over to her, a curious look on her face. “Well, Alyssa seems nice,” she said. “Her mother, on the other hand…” Emma elbowed her and tried to see if Mrs. Greene had heard Betsy’s comment. Thankfully, she showed no reaction. They were hopefully out of earshot.

After giving her grandma a brief tour of Avenger Field, and treating her to a quick breakfast in the mess hall, Emma bid her farewell as Betsy left to get a good spot in the crowd for graduation, and returned to the barracks to get ready.

Other women were already there, doing their hair and make up. There was an excited buzz throughout the room, with everyone bouncing in anticipation of their graduation. Everyone had friends and family in town to see them, and it would be a day of celebration.

Emma returned to her bunk, where Alyssa stood, already dressed, in front of their shared mirror as she applied makeup. Emma stripped out of her jumpsuit and stepped up next to Alyssa.

“Can I get in here?” she asked.

“Yeah, of course.”

Emma opened the top drawer and dug through it for her dress uniform, which they had just been fitted for and received a week prior, just for graduation. As she stepped back, she saw Alyssa’s eyes quickly turn back to the mirror. She cleared her throat.

“I’m sorry if my mother was rude,” Alyssa muttered, continuing to apply her makeup. “She can be a bit much.”

“It’s all right,” Emma said, buttoning up her shirt. “She probably just missed you.”

“Are your parents out there?” Alyssa asked, absently. “I only got to meet your grandmother.”

Emma went pale. “No,” she quickly replied. “No, I don’t think they would want to be here.”

Alyssa stopped what she was doing to look at Emma. “Why wouldn’t they want to be here? You’re their daughter.”

Emma shrugged. She had really hoped to avoid this conversation as long as possible, but she didn’t want it to happen in a room full of people. “Well, last time I spoke to my dad he said I wasn’t his daughter anymore, so...” She shrugged, awkwardly deflecting, knowing it wouldn’t work.

Alyssa’s eyes were full of concern for her friend. “What happened?”

Emma glanced around at the crowded room. Everyone was preoccupied with their own business, getting ready for graduation. She doubted anyone would even pay attention if she said anything. But it didn’t feel right to tell Alyssa in front of all these people. She took a deep breath. “Just… they didn’t like something I did.”

It was easy enough to leave out the part that the _ something _ she did was kissing a girl, but Alyssa didn’t have to know that just yet.

Emma felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. Alyssa had stepped away from the mirror and was right next to her now. “Whatever it was,” she started to say, “I’m sure your parents are stupid.”

A relieved chuckle left Emma’s lips. She was glad to share at least some of her story with Alyssa, but she was more thankful that Alyssa didn’t press for more details, and she didn’t seem to care regardless.

It was a quick moment they shared, before they started getting ready again, but it helped Emma feel a bit less stressed before graduation.

Emma wasn’t too fond of makeup. She always felt awkward wearing it, like her skin couldn’t breathe. So once she was dressed, all she really needed to do was fix up her hair. As she brushed through her wavy locks, Alyssa was finishing up in the mirror. Her hair was nicely curled, and her crisp blue uniform was perfect. She patted her skirt, and then pulled on her cap.

Once the ensemble was complete, Alyssa turned to Emma. “How do I look?” she asked.

Emma tried not to drop her hairbrush as she froze, taking in the uniform that was perfectly fitted to her, her legs underneath the skirt, and the makeup that drew Emma’s gaze to her gorgeous brown eyes. “Beautiful,” Emma breathed, after a moment of stunned silence. “Um, you look beautiful.”

Alyssa gave her a dimpled smile, and Emma wasn’t sure if the blush that colored her cheeks was just makeup, or if Emma had put it there. She took a step forward, into Emma’s space, and Emma felt light-headed as the breath left her lungs. Alyssa’s hands went to Emma’s tie, straightening it out quickly, before she stepped back. “See you out there, Nolan,” she said with a wink.

The third graduating class of WASP cadets couldn’t be more thrilled. As Emma marched with the rest of her classmates, she caught sight of her grandma in the crowd, cheering for her, and Emma could have sworn she saw tears in her eyes.

Emma had never been more proud of herself than she was in this moment.

“I’m so proud of you, Emma,” Betsy told her, later that night as they went out to dinner to celebrate. “You’ve really shown everyone how remarkable you are. I can’t wait to show your parents what they’re missing out on.”

Emma frowned. “They didn’t want to come, I take it?”

Betsy shook her head. “I told them you were graduating, but they didn’t seem to care. I’m sorry, honey.”

Emma blinked away the tears. “No, it’s fine,” she muttered. “I don’t know what I expected. They were just happy to get rid of me.”

“Don’t say that.”

“No, it’s true,” Emma gave her a sad smile. “I’m glad you’re here, though.”

Betsy brightened up. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Betsy bought them each a glass of champagne. It was expensive, but they were celebrating. The restaurant itself wasn’t the fanciest place in the world, but Emma didn’t care about where they were, or what they were drinking. She was just happy to spend one last night with her grandma before she left for Pearl Harbor in the morning.

“Sorry it had to be such a short trip,” Emma said. “I fly out in the morning.”

“I know, I’m just happy I get to see you off,” Betsy said. “Oh, before I forget! I have a present for you.” She fished through her purse to pull out a small box, topped with a bow and slid it across the table to Emma. “Happy graduation, honey.”

“Gran, you didn’t have to.” She reached out for the box, and pulled at the ribbon as the bow fell apart.

“It’s not much, but I wanted you to have a little something.”

Emma pulled the lid off the box and let out a soft gasp. An intricately designed fountain pen sat in the box, already filled with ink. “I love it,” she muttered. “Thank you.”

“Now you have no excuse to not write to me from Hawaii,” Betsy said, and Emma chuckled. “Or Alyssa, for that matter.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “I already told her I’d write.”

“Good, now you can keep that promise,” Betsy said, watching Emma intently. Emma hated how her grandma could always see right through any facade she put up. She could try to keep herself from blushing or smiling whenever she thought about Alyssa, but with her grandma, there was no point. “She’s something really special, isn’t she?”

Emma sighed. “She really is.”

Betsy reached across the table to take her hands, giving them a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “I just want you to be happy, Emma.”

“I am, gran,” Emma reassured her. “I promise.” Even if they were just friends, having Alyssa in her life made Emma the happiest she had ever been.

The next morning, Emma’s heart was heavy. She had already bid her grandmother farewell, and most of their friends were already out and about, packed and ready to go, or had already left for whatever base they had been assigned. Emma lingered in the barracks. Her own suitcase was already packed, but she helped Alyssa gather the last of her belongings.

“Don’t you have a flight to catch?” Alyssa asked, as Emma handed Alyssa one of her books that she found abandoned under her bed.

“I’ve still got…” Emma checked her watch, “twenty minutes. Besides, I’m the only one going to Pearl Harbor, it won’t leave without me.” She frowned for a moment. “I hope.”

Alyssa’s hands shook as she zipped her bag closed, having packed up the last of her things. Their beds were neatly made and their dresser was bare. All the bunks in the room looked the same. It was weird, leaving this place that had become their home, that had just yesterday been so full of life. Alyssa stood frozen for a moment, with her hands on her bag, her back to Emma.

“You okay?” Emma asked.

Instead of answering, Alyssa spun around and threw her arms around Emma, pulling her into a tight embrace. “I’m going to miss you so much,” she muttered against Emma’s neck as the tears began to fall.

Emma wrapped her arms around Alyssa and held her close. “I promised I’d write.”

“I know,” Alyssa sighed. “It won’t be the same.”

“I know.”

They stayed there, in each others arms for a while, neither wanting to let go and return to the real world. Alyssa’s tears began to fall more freely, and listening to her sobs only broke Emma’s heart. She wished she could do something, anything to make her feel better. Instead, she steeled herself, willing her own tears not to fall, and pulled back slightly. She tilted Alyssa’s chin up to meet her eyes.

“I’ll see you again, okay?” Emma said. “This isn’t goodbye.”

Alyssa nodded in agreement as she wiped her eyes. “After the war,” she said firmly. “I’ll buy you a drink to celebrate.”

Emma smiled, unable to stop the single tear that fell down her cheek. “I’m holding you to that promise.”

Alyssa’s eyes felt like home. Emma knew that if she didn’t tear her gaze away soon, she would never leave. She glanced down to Alyssa’s lips.

Emma wanted so badly to close the distance between them. If she never saw Alyssa again, it was now or never, right? If something happened, she would know the taste of her lips, at least once in her life. As the war dragged on, she could give herself this one, beautiful memory to hold onto. She wanted to pull Alyssa close and kiss her hard and slow, and give her something to remember her by if they never met again.

Instead, Emma placed her lips against Alyssa’s forehead for the briefest of moments. “I should go,” she muttered.

Alyssa nodded and stepped back, and suddenly Emma was out of the comfort of Alyssa’s arms, facing the cold, hard reality of leaving. Emma turned around, grasped the handle of her own suitcase, and began to walk away, but after only a few paces, she froze and turned her head for one last look. Alyssa’s eyes were red from crying, and her curls were a mess, and she looked at Emma like it was painful to do so. And she was so, so beautiful.

“Bye Greene,” Emma bid one last farewell, and before she lost her nerve, she turned around and walked out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments mean I will love you forever 💛 Feel free to follow me on tumblr @elliesgaymachete


	3. Words for Only You to Hear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Alyssa write to each other in the time they’re apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I did something a little weird this chapter, but I hope you still enjoy it! Haha

_ July 17th, 1943 _

_ Greene, _

_ I promised you I’d write. Hope I didn’t keep you waiting for too long. I just got settled in at Pearl Harbor, and the security here is insane. If you were worried about another attack, don’t be. This is probably the safest place I could be right now. There are extra officers on lookout, new bomb shelters, and raid drills every couple of days. I promise you I’m safe. _

_ As for the work, it’s kind of boring. I’m basically just target practice for the men who are stationed here. I think one of them is either an asshole and keeps trying to hit my plane instead of the target, or he just has really bad aim. Or maybe he’s just an idiot. Either way, I don’t like him much. There’s only a few women stationed all the way out here, so it can get a little lonely sometimes. _

_ The one benefit to working here is that Hawaii is beautiful. Seriously, Greene, you should see it. Flying over the open ocean is kind of scary, but it’s absolutely breathtaking. And we don’t get the chance to go off base a lot, but the beaches? I can’t even describe it. Soft, golden sand and waves crashing into the shore. It’s definitely my favorite part about being here. It’s definitely worth the sunburns I keep getting. _

_ I hope you’re safe. Don’t feel obligated to write back, but if you don’t, I might have to start worrying about you. If I don’t hear from you in a few months, I’ll probably start sending a letter every day, just to make sure you’re getting them. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Nolan _

* * *

_ August 8th, 1943 _

_ Nolan, _

_ I was so happy to receive your letter! I know it’s only been one month, but I really miss you. I’m glad to hear things are good there. _

_ I’m also currently working as target practice, unfortunately. Though the men here might be a better shot than yours, because no one seems to be aiming for the plane. They might need someone to shuttle aircraft up to Fort Drum in New York soon, so I’m hoping I get assigned to that. It would be nice to head to a different base, even if only for a few days. I’m curious as to how things are different from place to place, and it would be nice to get back in the cockpit for a few hours instead of the thirty minutes or so at a time that I’ve been getting since I arrived. _

_ Everyone I work with has been very nice, and Shelby is also stationed here, so that’s a bonus. I don’t know if I could have done this alone, although I can’t help but wish it was you here instead of Shelby. Don’t tell her I said that. _

_ I hope you’re making friends, but I hope none of them are better than me. _

_ Best, _

_ Alyssa Greene _

* * *

_ August 31st, 1943 _

_ Greene, _

_ I saw some dolphins today! I was flying low over the ocean and they jumped out, right in front of me. It was incredible, watching them leap out of the water, playing with their friends. There’s whales too, but those are harder to spot because they’re less social. Anyway, I was still thinking about that, and I wanted to tell you. _

_ I have made a friend, actually. Angie Dickinson is her name. She’s a bit older than us, and she was a dancer in another lifetime, before the war. She was part of the very first WASP class. Sometimes, when the boys are asleep, I steal one of their guitars and play some music while Angie teaches all the other girls to dance (except for me, because I’m providing the music and am also, coincidentally, a terrible dancer). They haven’t caught us yet! It’s definitely the most fun I ever have out here, and I’ve missed playing guitar. _

_ I promise I won’t tell Shelby, mostly because I’m happy to know that I’m still your favorite. Give her my love, I miss that girl. I hope you both are well. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Nolan _

* * *

_ September 20th, 1943 _

_ Nolan, _

_ You still need to play me a song sometime! I’ll try to not be too offended that your new friend Angie got a show before me, your best friend, but I’ll let it slide this time. After the war, you had better have a guitar ready the moment I see you because I’m not a very patient person. _

_ We received word the other day that the Nazis now have control of Rome. Shelby is worried because her husband Kevin was stationed in Italy, and she hasn’t heard from him since before they took over. I’ve been doing my best to keep her mind off of things, but it’s hard. What’s the best way to distract someone whose husband might be dead? I wish there was more I could do for her. _

_ We did end up shuttling those planes to Fort Drum, and that seemed to keep her occupied for a little while. I had never been to New York before, and it was upstate, but it was still amazing to be there. I never thought I would travel to so many places in my life. Shelby is from New York City, so she did seem happy to be back in her home state. She talked a lot about her favorite places in the city, and promised she would show me them all after the war. It was good to see her smile again, but now we’re back in North Carolina, and I keep hearing her crying at night. I hope we receive good news soon, on her behalf. _

_ I miss you, Nolan, as usual. _

_ Best, _

_ Alyssa Greene _

* * *

_ October 13th, 1943 _

_ Greene, _

_ Just so you know, I am not sending this of my own accord. Angie has threatened me with physical violence if I don’t do this, so enclosed is a photograph she (so rudely) took a few weeks ago, the last time I stole the guitar. She said if I haven’t played for you yet, you might as well have a picture. _

_ I’m so sorry to hear about Shelby. I wish I could help too, but I really don’t know what I would do in your situation besides try to get her mind off of things. I don’t know how much downtime you have, but maybe playing cards or lend her a few of your books. I know you have quite the collection, and it’s something to keep her occupied so her mind doesn’t wander to the worst. I’m hoping for the best for you both. _

_ Do you remember when Kaylee returned to training, her partner Lorraine Espinoza? She’s here in Pearl Harbor now! She says they just graduated and that Kaylee is doing great. She was sent somewhere in California, and they’re trying to stay in touch. It’s nice to have someone else around my age here. All the other WASP women here are a bit older, but Lorraine is 27, so we’re a lot closer in age. _

_ We might have a Spitfire coming in next week for testing, so that will be fun to try out something new. I miss you. _

_ Nolan _

* * *

_ November 2nd, 1943 _

_ Nolan, _

_ Shelby finally received a letter from Kevin! His troop was withdrawn from Italy days before the attack, and he is stationed in England now, though he couldn’t say where. Shelby is relieved he is off the war front, but I know the air raids in England are only getting worse, so I hope he stays safe. He is still overseas, so I think Shelby is always going to have that fear that something will happen to him, but it seems like she can finally breathe. _

_ I think my mother wants to visit for Thanksgiving. I know why she wants to, but they are expecting the holiday weekend to be busy for us, and I’m not sure if I’ll be here or shuttling another plane to Fort Drum. I don’t know how to tell my mother she can’t come without her getting offended, but that’s my mother for you. She means well, but she can be a lot. _

_ I had forgotten how much I missed your face until I saw it again. Please give Angie my thanks for the photograph. You look so happy! I’ll be sure to keep it close until the day I can see your smile in person again. _

_ Best, _

_ Alyssa Greene _

* * *

_ November 27th, 1943 _

_ Greene, _

_ I’m so happy to hear Shelby’s husband is alive. She must be relieved to hear from him. I hope he stays safe, but right now the war seems far from over. I hope you stay safe too, Greene. I know you’re not overseas, but shit happens. _

_ Happy Thanksgiving! Let me know what happened with your mother, and if you do see her, please tell her I said hello. I don’t think she likes me much, but I’d still like to try and get on her good side eventually. The mess hall here had a whole Thanksgiving feast with extra dry turkey and bland mashed potatoes, so the ladies all decided to have a little potluck instead. It was wonderful! I made my gran’s famous apple pie, and though I definitely did not do it justice, it tasted better than whatever they had at the mess. We had ham and sweet potatoes and stuffing. I didn’t think I’d get a real Thanksgiving meal this year, but I guess the benefit of working with a bunch of women is that they all know how to cook. Except for me. That’s how I got stuck with the pie because it’s the only thing I actually can make, thanks to my gran. _

_ I hope your holiday was good. It’s getting colder out, now that winter is coming. Stay warm, and stay safe. _

_ Nolan _

* * *

_ December 19th, 1943 _

_ Nolan, _

_ Happy holidays! I hope this arrives before Christmas, but I doubt it will. You probably noticed I included a package with this letter so please open that now so I don’t ruin the surprise. I know a deck of cards isn’t much, but hopefully it will keep you entertained on those long, boring days at the base. Trust me, I know them very well. I also couldn’t mail you a whole guitar, so I grabbed a pack of guitar picks instead. Hopefully you can use them sometime! I know it’s not much, but I wanted to get you a little something to say thanks for being a good friend, and thanks for keeping me sane these few months with your letters. _

_ My mother is currently in town. She settled for visiting around the holidays, but she will be leaving on the 23rd. I told her you said hello, and I think she pretended to forget who you were. I guess that’s better than disdain. I am glad to be able to see her, even for a little bit. It’s been lonely as of late. I think we’re all feeling it this holiday season. It’s hard to be apart from the people you care about for so long, and it’s getting to all of us. Though, Shelby just received a lovely Christmas gift from Kevin, a beautiful necklace he got while he was still stationed in Italy. She seems to be happy, for now at least. _

_ I hope your holidays aren’t too lonely. Wish I could spend them with you. _

_ Best, _

_ Alyssa Greene _

* * *

_ January 9th, 1944 _

_ Greene, _

_ I wish I could have reached you before the holidays, but thank you so much for the gift! It was so thoughtful. The cards have gotten quite a lot of use. The men would never let us play cards with them, so now we’ve started our own poker nights. Angie has a surprisingly good poker face and I’ve lost quite a bit of money to her already, but I’ve got a plan to win it back, so we’ll see how that goes (though I’m at least 90% sure it will fail). And thank you for the guitar picks as well. I know I can’t use them much yet, but as soon as I have a guitar again they’ll be put to good use. _

_ It’s a little late, but I’ve included a little something for you as well. I know you love your murder mysteries and I remember seeing quite a few Agatha Christie novels on your shelf back at training. This is her newest one, Murder in Retrospect. I haven’t actually read it, but I heard it’s good, so I hope you enjoy! And I hope you don’t already own it, which I’m just now realizing is a definite possibility. Well, it’s the thought that counts, right? _

_ I’m glad you got to spend time with your mother. We were definitely feeling the loneliness over here as well, but now that it’s the new year, I think there’s a new wave of optimism that’s washed over us all. I think we’re hoping the tides will turn this year and the end of the war will come sooner rather than later. I’m not sure how much I believe it, but if the end of the war means seeing you again, it’s something to hope for. _

_ Nolan _

* * *

_ February 3rd, 1944 _

_ Nolan, _

_ How did you know that I’ve wanted Agatha Christie’s new book for ages??? I haven’t had the time to go out and get it myself, because they’ve been keeping me busy on the base. Thank you so much! I will probably start it tonight and I’m sure I’ll be finished with it by the end of the week. If you’re looking for something to read, I would highly recommend anything by Agatha Christie, she is my absolute favorite! _

_ It’s good to hear spirits are up for you all. I can’t say the same here. I thought Kevin’s gift would cheer up Shelby, and it did for a day, but once the immediate joy wore off, she’s been in an even more sour mood. And on top of that another woman, our friend Edith, just received word that her husband died. Now everyone with a husband overseas is feeling awful, and there’s not much I can do to help them. Honestly, I can’t even begin to imagine how they might feel right now. It’s not like I have a husband to worry about. The closest thing I can think of would be the idea of losing you to this war, but I suppose that’s not quite the same, is it? Either way, I worry about you all the time. _

_ Apologies, I didn’t mean for this letter to become so dismal. What I’m trying to say is, stay safe, Nolan. For me. _

_ Best, _

_ Alyssa Greene _

* * *

_ March 1st, 1944 _

_ Greene, _

_ Aw, I didn’t think you cared so much. I kid, I kid. I can practically see you rolling your eyes from here. I know you care, and that’s what I love about you. I worry about you too, all the time, but I try not to get bogged down in the negative thoughts. I know it can be hard. _

_ Sometimes, when I feel especially down I’ll go out to the beach and put my bare feet in the sand. I’ll close my eyes and listen to the waves, and for a moment, I can pretend that you’re there with me. I know you don’t have beaches there (or maybe you do, to be quite honest, I’m not entirely sure where North Carolina is besides north of South Carolina), or at least not like they have here. But even just finding somewhere to be alone and forcing the thoughts in my head to be quiet helps me a lot. _

_ They’re starting me on some new projects. I’ll be shutting aircraft back to the mainland. As of right now, I’ll be making stops in Washington and California. Hey, maybe I’ll get to see Kaylee. Pearl Harbor is still my main base as far as I know, but I’ll be out more frequently. I’m hoping I’ll still receive your letters, and that I’ll have time to write, but they might start coming a bit less frequently. _

_ Miss you. _

_ Nolan _

* * *

_ March 31st, 1944 _

_ Nolan, _

_ To answer your question, yes, there are beaches in North Carolina. It’s on the east coast, and coast means ocean. When’s your birthday? Maybe I should get you a map for your next gift. Unfortunately, the beach is a little far from the fort, so I don’t get out there much. Not to mention it’s infested with hermit crabs, so I doubt I’d be able to put my bare feet in the sand without them crawling all over me. Usually, though, when I’m feeling down, I just read over your letters. They’re a little piece of you, and they remind me that you’re still safe out there. _

_ If you do see Kaylee, please tell her Shelby and I say hello. And Shelby wanted me to give you this message from her to deliver- KAYLEEEEEEE I MISS YOU SO MUCH. Yes, she did ask me to write it in all capitals and use seven E’s. If you’re counting. _

_ While I’m happy you get to do something new and exciting, I am a little sad to hear that your letters may not be as frequent. I’ll do my best to keep from worrying that something terrible has happened. I know you’ll be out there, being a badass as usual. _

_ Best, _

_ Alyssa Greene _

* * *

_ April 29th, 1944 _

_ Greene, _

_ Ha ha, you’re so funny. I know basic geography, but if we’re being honest, North Carolina isn’t really a super important, memorable state. At least, it wasn’t until you were there. My birthday is actually coming up in July, and I am accepting any gifts that aren’t maps, so I guess you’ll have to think of something new. _

_ Unfortunately, I saw Kaylee before I received your letter! She’s at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos. I did get to catch up with her and have updated her on how you and Shelby are doing. She seems to be really happy. I haven’t seen her like this since before Nick died, so I’m glad she’s in a good place. We do have a few more test aircraft her base needs, so I’ll be shuttling over a Hellcat soon. When I see her again, I’ll definitely pass along Shelby’s message. I’m sure Kaylee will appreciate it. _

_ I actually got to see my grandma when I was up in Washington. She lives near there and made the trip to see me. I may have cried like a baby, but I missed her so much. She asked how you were doing, too. She even offered to take us both out to dinner once the war is over, so I think it’s safe to say she likes you. Not as much as I like you, though. _

_ Nolan _

* * *

_ May 19th, 1944 _

_ Nolan, _

_ I’m going to need a more specific date than just ‘July’, but I suppose I can work with that for now. Considering the speed at which mail sends, I should probably start planning now... _

_ It’s so good to hear that you saw Kaylee! I’m glad she’s doing well. I know she was having a rough time for a while. Even after she came back to training, she was always a little off. Shelby definitely picked up on it more than the rest of us, so she will be happy to hear about Kaylee. _

_ If you see Betsy again please give her my love. I only had the pleasure of talking to her briefly when we met at graduation, but she is honestly one of the nicest people I have ever known. It’s no wonder you’re related, you are two pretty amazing people. I do like all this talk of after the war. Everyone here is getting antsy, like they’ve got this feeling that the tides will be turning soon. I know people have been thinking it will happen or hoping for it to happen for a while now, but this time it feels different. I don’t know much about what’s happening on the front, but there’s definitely something in the air. _

_ Maybe it’s just because this war has been going on for so long, it’s easier to hope for change than to realize there’s no end in sight. Anyway, I’m still missing you. Hope you’re doing ok. _

_ Best, _

_ Alyssa Greene _

* * *

_ July 1st, 1944 _

_ Greene, _

_ Sorry it’s been some time since my last letter. Things have been busy here, but I miss you, and I’m always thinking about you. _

_ Do you remember my friend Lorraine? She was stationed here as well and we’ve been working together for about nine months. She died, a few weeks ago. We were testing some new aircraft and her engine started smoking. We were taught to bail if we see smoke, so she did. And do you know what happened? As she deployed her parachute, she slipped right out of the harness and plummeted to the ground. Damn chutes were designed for men. They didn’t even bother to make ones that would fit us women. _

_ Her plane caught fire not long after that so it wouldn’t have made much of a difference regardless. _

_ Sometimes I forget how dangerous this job can be, and then something like this happens and I’m left wondering why I signed up for it in the first place. We at least had the option to stay home and let the boys do all the hard work without risking our lives every day for hardly any thanks. Most days, I love. There isn’t quite a feeling that can compare to flying above the clouds. And the views from up there? Unbelievable. I’m sure you get it. But sometimes, on days like today, when you’ve lost someone you care about, I wonder what the point of it all is. _

_ But then I remember that if I hadn’t become a WASP, I never would have met you. I think that’s the only thing that gets me through the bad days, sometimes. And I’m left waiting for the day that I get to see you again. Stay safe, Greene. Can’t have you dying on me when you still owe me a drink once the war’s over. I’ll see you soon. _

_ Yours, _

_ Nolan _

* * *

_ July 25th, 1944 _

_ Nolan, _

_ I remember Lorraine, I’m so sorry to hear about what happened. I just told the other girls and we all have her in our thoughts and prayers. This war is just awful, isn’t it? _

_ I’m going to be honest with you. I wanted to get you a birthday gift. I really did. I stayed up all night, racking my brain for hours, trying to think of the perfect gift for you (that could be sent in the mail, at least), and came up with nothing. I’d like to think I know you pretty well, but I can’t even come up with a damn birthday gift? _

_ And I realized I couldn’t think of anything because there’s nothing I could give you that you deserve. You deserve the world, Nolan. You deserve to see your grandmother every day, because I know how much you love her. You deserve parents who can see how amazing you are. You deserve everything you could wish for that would make you happy, and I don’t know if I can give you any of it. _

_ Shelby’s last letter from her husband informed her that Kevin would be joining the Western front in Normandy. It’s been almost two months since they landed in France and she hasn’t heard from him since. I tried to tell her that communication must be very limited on the front lines. She hasn’t received a telegram, so I told her that no news is good news. I know she can’t help but worry, though. He’s been overseas for so long and it’s getting harder and harder for her. _

_ I need to tell you something. It’s something that has been weighing on my mind for a while now, something that I’m still trying to fully figure out. But with everything that has happened recently, Lorraine, Shelby and Kevin, etc. it really makes you think about the things that matter to you and the people you care about. I finally realized that, I think I do understand how Shelby feels. Even though you’re not overseas, waiting for your letters, the lingering worry keeping me up at night, I think I know exactly how she feels. The thought of seeing you again is the only thing I look forward to anymore. _

_ Happy birthday, Nolan. _

_ Love, _

_ Alyssa Greene _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve always been interested in epistolary stuff so this is just a brief epistolary interlude while the girls are apart. I timed the letters as taking about 3-4 weeks to send. Please let me know what you think I love you all thank you so much for reading <3


	4. If We Never Meet Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Alyssa are reunited after over a year for an important assignment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had to do a lot of googling about how to fly planes and logistics of things in the 1940s and I’m sure a lot of this is in no way accurate but please bear with me.

**September 1944**

Alyssa read over Emma’s most recent letter again, for what felt like the hundredth time. The messy scrawl was a sense of comfort, and she could almost hear Emma’s voice in her head, narrating the words. Her fingers traced over the closing. _ Yours, Nolan. _

_ Yours. _

That one word made Alyssa’s heart feel as though it might burst out of her chest. She sighed as she folded the paper again, put it back into its envelope, and delicately placed it into the box with all her other letters from Emma. Every other one was signed with _ Sincerely, _ or sometimes she didn’t even include a salutation and just signed, _ Nolan. _So what changed with this one?

She picked up the single photograph from the box, a photo of Emma sitting on a small cot, playing guitar. Her hair was down and she had the biggest smile on her face. It had been so long since she had seen Emma, Alyssa worried that if she didn’t have this picture she might start to forget what she looked like.

Not that she wouldn’t recognize her, of course. She would never forget Emma’s face. But she might start to forget little things, like the way she rarely smiled with her teeth unless she was laughing at a joke, or the way her eyes lit up with joy when she was happy, or the way she would squint in confusion when trying to make sense of something. The only other time she had seen Emma as happy as she was in the picture was when it was just the two of them, up in the sky together, flying.

Alyssa almost wished the photograph could have been in color, but there was no way any printed image could capture the ever changing colors of Emma’s eyes. The memory of Emma’s eyes looking at her with an inquisitive wonder, like she thought Alyssa was the most interesting thing in the world, had to be enough for now.

It had been almost two months since Alyssa wrote last, and she had received no word from Emma ever since. The thought filled her with anxiety for multiple reasons. Had something happened to Emma? Or had her confession been too much and she didn’t want to speak to Alyssa anymore?

It wasn’t necessarily a confession, but she told Emma everything that had been on her mind, all the things she had been thinking about, without even realizing it, ever since they were back at training. Alyssa wasn’t even sure what compelled her to tell Emma everything, but she thought a lot about the night they received their base assignments, how upset they both were upon realizing they wouldn’t be together anymore, the night they almost—

“Alyssa, you coming?”

Alyssa pushed the box of Emma’s letters away, and hid the hand holding the photograph behind her back when Shelby walked inside. “Yeah, just a minute.”

Shelby eyed her suspiciously. “Are you reading Nolan’s letters again?”

“No,” Alyssa lied, but one look from Shelby told her that she wasn’t convincing anyone.

Shelby frowned and sat down next to Alyssa on the bed. She put a hand on her leg and sighed. “I get it. I want to read Kevin’s letters all the time, but I know it’ll just drive me crazy.”

Alyssa’s shoulders slumped as she pulled the photo of Emma back into her lap and looked down at it. “I just miss her.”

“I know how much you care about her.”

“Do you? Because I’m not even sure if _ I _know how much I care about her.”

Shelby gave her a small, knowing smile and bumped against her shoulder. “Well I know you care about her a hell of a lot. Whatever that means is up to you.”

Alyssa felt herself blush, but didn’t want to think about whatever Shelby meant by that, and shook her head. “I just can’t help but worry that something bad has happened since her last letter.”

“No news is good news, remember?” Shelby took the photograph from her hands and placed it back into the box. “If something happened to her we would hear about it.”

“I know,” Alyssa sighed. “I thought I was supposed to be the one telling you that. Although I guess I won’t complain about you being in a better mood today.”

Shelby put an arm around Alyssa and leaned her head on her shoulder. “You’ve done it enough for me for a lifetime. We look out for each other.”

Alyssa wrapped her friend in a hug. “Thanks Shelby.”

“Now, those planes aren’t going to fly themselves. You coming?”

Alyssa nodded. She placed the box of Emma’s letters back under her bed. “Let’s go help the boys with some target practice.”

Shelby linked her arm through Alyssa’s and led them both outside. As the two exited the barracks and made their way out to the runway, they were intercepted by another woman, their friend Jasmine Stein.

“Shields!” she called out. “Greene!”

“What’s up?” Alyssa asked.

“Major Oliver is looking for you.”

Shelby frowned. “We have target practice out at—”

“Yeah, Alvarez and I are taking over your target practice duties for now,” she explained. “I don’t know what it’s about but it seemed important. He’s in his office.”

Alyssa and Shelby looked at each other and shrugged. “Let’s go see Major Oliver, I guess.”

Trent Oliver was not the type of person you would see as a military man, but then again, in times of war, most people who enlisted weren’t necessarily military men. Alyssa herself was probably the furthest thing from a military woman, and yet, here she was.

He was a commanding officer for the men, but also tried to act as a sort of mentor to the women as well. He was always looking out for them, making sure the boys weren’t giving them a hard time. He had a strong personality, but at his heart he was a real softie. Alyssa had grown to appreciate his presence over the few months he had been at Fort Davis.

“Ladies! Come in, come in,” Trent spotted them outside his office and waved them inside with a flourished gesture. Shelby closed the door behind them after she and Alyssa had both stepped inside.

“Major Oliver,” Alyssa said with a quick salute.

“How many times do I have to tell you?” he sighed. “Just Trent is fine.”

“Okay, Trent,” Shelby said with a laugh, and a salute of her own. “What did you need?”

He stepped out from behind his desk and leaned against the front of it, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, long story short, the two of you are being transferred indefinitely to Fort Drum for an assignment that you will receive more information on when you arrive there tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Shelby gasped.

“What kind of assignment?” Alyssa asked.

“I don’t have all the details, and it’s not in my purview, but tomorrow you will check in with Dee Dee Allen, and she will give you a briefing, along with everyone else involved.”

“We can’t leave tomorrow!” Shelby exclaimed. “What if I get a letter or a telegram? Kevin won’t know where I am and even if I send a letter it won’t arrive for weeks!”

Trent frowned. “I… understand your situation, Shields, and I’m very sorry. We can be sure to forward any correspondence addressed to you up to Fort Drum. I know it might take a bit longer to arrive and I wish that I could do more, but that’s really the best I can offer.”

“Can’t anyone else go?”

“Miss Allen requested you two specifically for this assignment.”

Alyssa blinked. “She did?”

Trent nodded. “Something about you two being some of the best students she’s taught,” he explained. “Don’t tell her I told you that, though,” he added with a wink.

Shelby still looked upset, but said nothing. Alyssa put a hand on her shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. They would talk later.

“Now, unless you two have anymore questions, I’d suggest you get packing. You leave at oh eight hundred tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.”

After Trent dismissed them, Alyssa dragged Shelby out of his office. Shelby’s breath had grown short and her fists were clenched as she silently fumed to herself. Over the months of Shelby worrying about her husband, Alyssa had grown used to this reaction. Alyssa did what she always did and brought Shelby outside, to one of the furthest corners of the runway. Neither of them said a word the entire time they walked, except for a brief greeting as they passed their friends and coworkers.

They weren’t on the runway itself, but on the outskirts of it. They could hear the roar of engines, and they could see people in the distance, but no one else ever really trekked this far out. Alyssa liked to come out here when she wanted to be alone, and she started taking Shelby out here as well when her anxiety about Kevin started to get worse.

Shelby clenched her fists so tightly that her hands were shaking, and her eyes glistened but no tears fell. When Shelby was upset, sad, depressed, or nearly any other emotion, it came out as anger. Alyssa had been on the receiving end of a few anger fueled insults thrown her way, and since then, she had given herself the job of calming Shelby down whenever she got like this, lest she direct her frustration at the wrong person and get in some serious trouble.

Alyssa let go of Shelby’s arm and took a step back while she paced back and forth, fuming. “How could they just transfer us like that?! They don’t even— now I won’t even know if— and Kevin could— _ fuck!” _

As Shelby ranted and cursed to herself, Alyssa just closed her eyes and listened. It was all she could do until the rage was out of her system.

Eventually, once she tired herself out, Alyssa opened her eyes. Shelby was still pacing back and forth, but she seemed a bit more at ease than she was a few minutes ago. “You okay, Shelbs?”

Shelby shrugged as she wiped her eyes. “I guess I have to be.”

Alyssa stepped forward and held her by the arms, just above her elbows. She gave a gentle squeeze in the hopes of comforting or reassuring her friend. “I know it sucks, but it’ll be okay. We look out for each other, remember?”

Instead of saying anything, Shelby threw her arms around Alyssa and hugged her. When she pulled back, she gave Her a small smile. “Thanks,” she muttered. “Let’s go get our stuff packed, yeah?”

* * *

It was almost ten o’clock when Alyssa and Shelby stepped off the plane onto the runway at Fort Drum in New York. Alyssa had been here a handful of times before, so the place was familiar enough and bustling with activity as they made their way toward the barracks to deposit their belongings. She nodded politely at the few people she passed by that recognized her.

“So what do you think this assignment is?” Shelby asked.

“I have no idea,” Alyssa said with a shrug. “It sounds important, though.”

Shelby nodded in agreement. “I guess we’ll find out more pretty soon. I just hope it’s something interesting. I’m tired of fucking target practice. I wish we could do something that matters—”

The rest of Shelby’s sentence was lost on her ears when Alyssa heard a familiar laugh in the distance. She froze in her tracks, and could feel the nervous thrum of her heartbeat in her eardrums. _ Could it be? _

Alyssa turned toward the source of the sound that rang in her ears to find a group of women exiting the mess hall, chatting excitedly. One woman in particular caught her eye, short blonde curls, head thrown back in laughter, and even just the sight of her made Alyssa feel like she suddenly had everything to look forward to again.

Was she hallucinating? Dreaming? Had their plane crashed and now she was in heaven? Alyssa was stunned; she couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe, but then hazel eyes caught hers from fifty feet away, and suddenly Alyssa found her voice again.

“Nolan?” she called out.

Emma Nolan’s shocked expression turned to splitting grin, and Alyssa dropped her suitcase and ran as fast as her legs would carry her to close the distance between them. A moment later, she was in Emma’s arms, and Alyssa felt like she could breathe for the first time in a year.

Emma’s arms hooked around her waist, picking Alyssa up and spinning her a little. Alyssa laughed with joy as she held on tight and buried her face in Emma’s neck, breathing her in, still unable to believe that this was real, that Emma was here.

When Emma set her down on her feet again, Alyssa stepped back and took her hands. She looked at her for a moment, studied her. Her skin was just as pale, but she had a few more freckles than Alyssa remembered. Her hair was a little shorter than the last time Alyssa had seen her. She wore a floral Hawaiian shirt tucked into her slacks. Alyssa felt her cheeks heat up as she knew Emma noticed her lingering gaze, but she didn’t care.

Emma’s eyes, though, were just as breathtaking as Alyssa remembered, and her smile lit up her face like the sun.

Alyssa gaped for a moment, at a loss for words, and Emma was either stunned into silence as well, or waiting to hear whatever Alyssa had to say. Eventually, Alyssa’s brain allowed her to string a sentence together and she muttered the first words that came into her head.

“Are you real?”

Immediately, Alyssa’s cheeks flushed as she bit her lip in embarrassment. That wasn’t quite what she meant to say, and now she felt like an idiot. But Emma’s smile softened, and she squeezed her hands.

“Yeah,” Emma nodded. “It’s me. I’m here.” Her thumb brushed across Alyssa’s knuckles in a soothing rhythm, and Alyssa thought she was going to melt on the spot, until Shelby came up behind her and dropped her suitcase with a loud thud, startling her. She stepped away from Emma and glared at her friend.

“You dropped your shit,” Shelby said with a cheeky grin.

At the distraction, a few of the women cleared their throats and waved. Alyssa gasped when she recognized Kaylee Boomer and Maggie Avery as well.

“What are we, chopped liver?” Kaylee asked.

Immediately, Shelby launched herself forward, shoving Alyssa aside, and threw her arms around Kaylee. “Oh my god!” she exclaimed. “You’re here!”

Alyssa turned to Maggie and pulled her into a hug. “I didn’t even see you, I can’t believe you’re all here!”

“It’s okay,” Maggie said, “I know you were a little distracted.” She sent Alyssa a wink and Alyssa felt herself blush again. “But seriously, it’s so good to see you all.”

Emma cleared her throat again. “Greene, this is my friend Angie,” she said, gesturing to the one woman in the group that Alyssa didn’t recognize. “I think I told you about her.”

Alyssa nodded, excitedly, remembering Emma’s letters. “The dancer, right? It’s so good to finally meet you!”

“Angie, this is Alyssa Greene.”

Angie waved Emma off and pulled Alyssa into a tight hug. “Emma has told me _ so much _ about you!”

Alyssa looked at Emma over Angie’s shoulder, who blushed. “Angie—”

“Ladies, if this little reunion is over, you’re all running late.” Dee Dee Allen marched out of the mess hall, glaring at them. “Shields, Greene, drop off your bags. Everyone else, follow me. Meeting starts in two minutes. Let’s move!”

With their greetings cut short, everyone bid old and new friends a quick goodbye. Alyssa bent over to pick up the suitcase that Shelby had dropped at her feet, but a hand caught her arm. She looked up to find Emma lingering with her after everyone else had followed Dee Dee off.

“Um, it’s really good to see you, Greene,” she muttered, a shy smile that tempted Alyssa’s gaze to her lips. “Do you want to catch up later?”

Alyssa nodded. “I’d like that.”

“Cool.” Emma blushed, and waved as she ran off to rejoin the rest of the group.

Alyssa stared after her in a daze, until Shelby elbowed her in the side. “Get your bag, idiot, we’re going to be late!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Alyssa grumbled. She grabbed her suitcase, and she and continued their trek to the barracks to deposit their things.

They were a minute and a half late to the meeting, which Dee Dee so kindly informed them the moment they walked inside. In total, there were a few dozen women in attendance. Alyssa recognized quite a few of them in passing, from training or working together in the past, but only the ones she greeted earlier were women she knew well, and most of them were women that Alyssa had never met before.

Shelby and Alyssa quickly found the nearest open seats, and Dee Dee continued with her briefing.

“Now, as I was saying, I know you all have a lot of questions about why I brought you here, and I’m just going to be frank with you. Germany’s air raids on Britain are relentless. We are losing a lot of men, and a lot of resources out there. That’s where you all come in. We have a fresh batch of P-51 Mustang fighters that need to get to Britain ASAP.”

An excited murmur went through the crowd. Alyssa exchanged glances with Shelby. They were shuttling overseas? Alyssa couldn’t help the excitement she was feeling. It was dangerous, but she had never been overseas before. In fact, this would probably be the longest time she would spend in the cockpit. Dee Dee glared at the women to silence them before she continued.

“Now, as you all _ should _know, the Mustang is a long range, single seat fighter/bomber, and we have a lot of these to unload. That’s why you’re all here. You will be assigned in teams of two, one team will take off every hour, and you will each be flying your own Mustang. Now, I chose the lot of you because you’re some of the strongest pilots I know, and this is a ten hour trip to RAF Newchurch Airfield, mostly over open ocean. This assignment is not to be taken lightly. Are there any questions?”

A red-headed woman at the front raised her hand. “Why can’t these planes be shipped overseas?”

Dee Dee frowned. “Two of the last five artillery shipments have been bombed. These are long-range flyers so they can make the trip, and we’re hoping that with the staggered arrival times, it won’t draw any attention from the Germans.”

Shelby raised her hand. “How long will we be in England?”

“A day, tops,” Dee Dee replied. “Once everyone arrives safely, we have a jet waiting to take us back here.”

Without raising a hand, Kaylee shouted from the back of the room, “Are you coming too?”

Dee Dee looked confused by the question, but nodded. “I will be making the last trip, just to make sure everything goes according to plan, and one of my most experienced pilots, Angie Dickinson, will be on the first trip to ensure everyone’s arrival at Newchurch.”

A short, blond woman raised her hand. “When are we leaving?”

“That is an excellent question,” Dee Dee started. “The first group will depart at midnight, with groups leaving on the hour for the next twenty-four hours. Now, if there are no more questions, I’ll post the list of group assignments and departure times and will leave you to your day.”

Dee Dee took one last glance around the room and with a quick nod, she turned around and pinned a few sheets of paper to the board behind her and walked out. The crowd of women rushed to the front to find their names as soon as Dee Dee disappeared, so it took a few minutes for Alyssa to get to the list to find her assignment.

It didn’t take long, as her name was second from the top.

_ 0100 - Alyssa Greene and Emma Nolan _

Honestly, Alyssa was surprised. Sure, they had been partners at training, but they hadn’t worked together in over a year. She hadn’t expected Dee Dee to pair them together again, but it was a pleasant surprise to see Emma’s name next to her own.

What’s ten more hours when you’ve already flown with someone for over two hundred hours?

* * *

Most of the day was spent catching up with all their old friends they had not seen in over a year, and getting to know new ones. Kaylee, Emma, and Maggie were all excited to see each other again, and Angie was so excited to meet all of Emma’s friends. Kaylee also introduced them to a friend of hers from Los Alamitos named Brooke Baker. She was in her late thirties, but her fiery personality rivaled that of someone ten years younger. She had also lost her husband to the war, so Alyssa understood how she and Kaylee quickly forged such a close friendship.

Maggie had been stationed in Texas, and she had a few new friends as well. Gabi Taylor and Brittany Zegler had been a few classes behind theirs, and were practically inseparable but easily welcomed Maggie into the group the moment they met. They were extremely sociable and talked everyone’s ear off the whole time, easily getting along with everyone they met.

Alyssa wasn’t sure if Shelby was more excited to see her best friend, Kaylee, or her old partner, Maggie. Whichever the answer, she couldn’t stop hugging them both.

Alyssa just watched the joy unfold around her, happy to be in the presence of so many friends once again. Every time her eyes met Emma’s across the group, her heart would beat just a little bit faster. It was almost imperceptible, but it set her on edge.

All she wanted was to talk to Emma, just the two of them, like they used to.

Eventually, the group split off to their own devices after dinner. Unthinkingly, Alyssa grabbed Emma’s hand before she disappeared somewhere, and brought her to her favorite place at Fort Drum. Emma followed without question.

Alyssa had been to Fort Drum a handful of times, and had some time to explore the base with Shelby, and she discovered on her third trip that you could access the roof of the men’s barracks without even going inside. There was an emergency staircase at the back of the building, and once you reached the top, the roof was low enough that you could easily climb over.

The roof itself was fairly plain; flat concrete stretched across the top of the building, and whenever Alyssa got too close to the edge, she feared she might topple over. Funny, she thought, how you can grow so used to flying thousands of feet above the ground but be skittish at the thought of a two-story drop.

The only charm of the rooftop, really, was the isolation it provided from the rest of the base. Emma followed Alyssa, climbing on top of the roof and looked around with a gentle wonder.

“How’d you find this place?” she mused.

“Honestly?” Alyssa chuckled. “Shelby stole someone’s flask because he called her baby doll and she lost him by hiding up here.”

“Why does that not surprise me?” Emma laughed. She brushed past Alyssa and stepped up to the edge, looking out over the base. It was a brisk night, but Emma didn’t seem to mind the cold. She closed her eyes and smiled as a breeze swept by, blowing her curls around her face.

Alyssa couldn’t believe how beautiful she looked.

Emma sat down, her feet dangling off the roof, and patted the spot next to her. Alyssa usually preferred to stray from the edge, but something about Emma made her feel a little more at ease than usual, almost fearless. Alyssa sat down next to her, mimicking her position.

They sat in silence for a moment, though there were so many things Alyssa wanted to say. She just didn’t know where to begin.

When Emma cleared her throat, Alyssa turned her head to watch her. There was a frown on her lips, and her fists were clenched nervously in her lap.

“I’m sorry I haven’t written in a while,” Emma sighed. “I haven’t been back to Pearl Harbor in a few months.”

“A few months?”

“Yeah. I actually haven’t been in the same place for more than a few days since I left. They’ve been sending me everywhere. I barely had time to send gran a quick postcard so she wouldn’t think I was dead.” Emma let out a soft chuckle. “I’m sure she’d worry regardless. Anyway, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Alyssa gave her a reassuring smile. “I was starting to get worried too. Either that something bad happened or that you—“ She cut herself off before she could finish, though, not wanting to accidentally say too much.

“That I… what?” Emma questioned.

Alyssa shook her head. “I just thought, maybe, you didn’t like what I said in my last letter, that’s all.”

Immediately, Emma’s face fell. “Shit, I, uh— I should tell you, I don’t think I’ve gotten it.”

“What?”

“Yeah. I left Pearl Harbor a few days after I wrote you last, and I don’t really have a permanent address they can forward mail to at the moment… Why, was it important? What did you say?”

Alyssa’s eyes grew wide. She could be honest with Emma about the letter, but what good would that do if she hadn’t even seen it? It was most likely it was lost somewhere by now and Emma would never read it. So instead of being brave, Alyssa just shrugged. “I don’t remember,” she lied. “But you know me, always worrying about something.”

Emma’s brow furrowed as she watched Alyssa for a moment. Alyssa wasn’t quite sure if she believed her. But eventually, the corner of Emma’s mouth turned up in a small smile and her gaze relaxed. “Yeah, that sounds like you,” she teased.

“So… where have you been?” Alyssa asked.

“Everywhere, it feels like.” Emma looked out across the airfield and sighed. “I already told you about California and Washington. I spent a lot of time in Texas. I was in and out of Sweetwater a lot switching out planes for the rookies to try out and practice with. And then I started out in Florida and basically worked my way up the East Coast until I got here.”

“You never stopped in North Carolina,” Alyssa pouted.

“Believe me, I asked if I there was anything I could do at Fort Davis, but it just wasn’t on the agenda,” Emma frowned. “My reasons for wanting to stop there, though, were entirely selfish.”

Alyssa blushed. “I wish they would have let you be selfish for a day.”

“Me too.” Emma’s eyes lingered on her own, and Alyssa felt her palms grow sweaty as she was suddenly self conscious under her intent gaze. She wiped her hands nervously on the roof next to her and leaned back, averting her eyes, unable to look at Emma for too long without fear of accidentally saying the wrong thing. “But hey, you’re here now.” Emma bumped her shoulder playfully against Alyssa’s. “And we’re partners again.”

“I missed working with you, Nolan. I hope Hawaii hasn’t changed you too much.”

“Well, all the sunburns have faded by now,” Emma shrugged. “I did actually want to talk to you. About when I wrote last.”

Alyssa looked at her questioningly. “Lorraine?” Emma nodded, and Alyssa’s heart ached for her. She had never met Lorraine, but she could tell that Emma was having a hard time with her death. “I’m so sorry about what happened. I wish there was something I could do.”

“I know.” Emma began to fidget with her hands in her lap. “I just— it makes you think about how dangerous our jobs are every day. And now we’re flying all the way to England and I’m not _ expecting _ anything to go wrong, but something _ could _ happen, and—“

“Hey,” Alyssa interrupted, wanting to reassure her, “we’ll have each other’s backs out there. Don’t worry.”

Emma gave Alyssa a sideways glance. “I know, and I trust you, Greene. But some things are out of our control.” Her eyes flitted down to Alyssa’s hand, resting on the rooftop, and Emma reached out and placed her hand on top. The gesture made Alyssa’s cheeks flush. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Her stomach filled with nerves at her words and the lightest touch of Emma’s hand, but she cleared her throat. “We’ll be fine.”

Emma pursed her lips, studying Alyssa’s expression, seemingly in a mental battle with herself. She took a deep breath and pulled Alyssa’s hand into her lap, holding it with both of her own. Alyssa could see the fear in her eyes as she opened her mouth to speak, but—

The sound of breaking glass from below interrupted Emma’s thought. They glanced down to the ground to find a group of women they didn’t know, stumbling drunk, probably celebrating because they were excited to be reunited. One of them accidentally dropped the bottle of beer she had been drinking and it shattered across the pavement. Most of the group scattered, giggling, while two of them tried to hastily clean up the mess.

“I hope they’re not leaving until later in the day tomorrow,” Emma said, watching them in amusement. After a moment, she turned her attention back to Alyssa and squeezed her hand. Being with Emma made Alyssa feel fearless, but the way Emma was looking at her made her feel suddenly terrified. “Um, I—“

“We do have to leave pretty early,” Alyssa muttered suddenly, cutting her off. The momentary distraction was all it took for Alyssa’s nerves to get the better of her. She quickly withdrew her hand from Emma’s grasp. She immediately missed the feeling, but she stood abruptly. She brushed the dirt from her clothes to give her hands something to do. “We should probably get some sleep.”

Alyssa felt a pang of guilt when she met Emma’s eyes again and noticed the disappointment behind them, but she offered her hand to help her up. Emma took it and stepped a little too close into Alyssa’s space. She couldn’t stop her eyes from flirting down to Emma’s lips, her heart racing as she as she was entranced by every subtle movement. There was a small, understanding smile on her lips, and she met Emma’s eyes again before she took a step back. They made their way off the roof and back to the women’s barracks, walking a foot apart with a dense silence lingering between them.

* * *

The sky was an inky blue that stretched out as far as the eye could see. Not a cloud was in sight, and a smattering of stars was laid out above them. The first group had already taken off, and Emma and Alyssa were preparing for their flights.

Alyssa was nervous things would be awkward between them when they woke, but their conversation from the night before didn’t seem to faze Emma. She was surprised to find Emma awake even before herself; Alyssa was so used to being the one to wake her, though it had been a year. Over time, she must have gotten used to waking herself up by now and the thought only disappointed Alyssa a little bit.

Emma gave Alyssa a tired smile as she pulled on her jumpsuit in the dark of the night in the barracks. They both got dressed in silence, making sure to not wake their friends from their slumber.

Alyssa had only flown a P-51 Mustang twice before, but every plane was similar enough that her pre-flight inspection took no time at all. The main difference was the size; a smaller aircraft was easier to maneuver, but also had a bit more speed and therefore was easier to lose control of. It was a single seater, so there was no room for a copilot, passengers, or any cargo. The cockpit itself was small and cramped, and barely managed to fit herself with a parachute strapped on. These planes definitely weren’t built for comfort, that’s for sure. It was going to be a long flight.

Pretty soon it was one o’clock on the dot and they had just been cleared for takeoff. Alyssa had her helmet and her headset on; she looked through the glass to see Emma’s plane across from her. She could barely make out Emma’s figure in her own cockpit, waving at her. Alyssa grinned. She pushed the button to activate her radio.

“You ready for this, flyboy?”

Her ears filled with static for a moment, but then Emma’s voice rang through, loud and clear. _ “After you, Greene.” _

Alyssa pulled her bird onto the runway and picked up speed, watching the speedometer increase until it surpassed a hundred. She eased back on the yoke and maneuvered the rudder for takeoff, and soon enough she felt the familiar tug in her gut as she left the ground.

“And we have liftoff.”

_ “Right behind you.” _

Alyssa banked left to loop around and timed it so she caught Emma’s plane and they were flying side by side.

_ “Airspeed, two hundred and thirteen miles. Altitude, seven hundred fifty six feet and rising. Time, one oh two. Next stop, Newchurch.” _

The sky opened up before them like a void. It was terrifying, but exhilarating. It was like flying into nothingness. The moon was almost full that night, and it lit their way as they flew over the open land of upstate New York.

It wasn’t long until they were out of range of the Fort Drum radio towers, and Alyssa and Emma were truly alone in the late night sky. For a while, her radio was silent, save for their occasional status updates.

“Airspeed, two hundred eighty nine miles. Altitude, eight thousand four hundred ninety one feet and still climbing.”

_ “Check it out. We’re almost at the coast.” _

Alyssa squinted into the distance. In the darkness she could barely make out the line that separated the land from the sea, and beyond that was the cold, black, unforgiving ocean. “How’d you even see that?”

_ “I’ve done a lot of flying over open ocean. You learn what to look for.” _

“I don’t think I’ve flown over the ocean before.”

_ “It’s nothing to worry about. But it is a little more fun when you can actually see it.” _

“Do you miss Hawaii?” Alyssa asked.

Emma was quiet for a moment. _ “I miss the consistency,” _ she said. _ “I miss knowing where I’m going to be and being able to write to you. I don’t miss the sunburns, and I do really like getting to see the whole country. And now we’re going to England? I never thought I’d get to see this much of the world.” _

“Me too.”

_ “And getting to see it with you? That’s not so bad either.” _

Alyssa was suddenly grateful for the darkness of the night, and the separate aircraft they flew, so Emma wouldn’t see the blush that colored her cheeks at those words.

The hours trudged on slowly. Sometimes they would go for long periods of time saying nothing, just taking in their surroundings and focused on flying their planes. Sometimes they would fill the silence with idle conversation, talking about whatever came to mind.

“You see that constellation up ahead?” Alyssa asked. “Delphinus. One of my favorites. And it means we’re going in the right direction.”

_ “That’s good,” _Emma muttered.

“What’s your favorite constellation?”

Emma hummed in thought over the radio. _ “I’m not sure. I was never great with constellations. I’d make a terrible sailor. Also I get seasick.” _

“Damn, Nolan. Seasickness and motion sickness? Why the hell are you a pilot?”

_ “Hey!” _ Emma defended. _ “I’ve gotten over the motion sickness! Mostly.” _

“Mostly?”

_ “Sometimes really bad turbulence will still make me a little nauseous but that’s it!” _

“I’m glad we’re not sharing a cockpit.”

_ “Shut up.” _

“I’m just saying, vomit in my hair? Not a good look.”

_ “Are we there yet?” _

“Buckle up, Nolan, we’ve got like eight more hours.”

“_ Ugh.” _

Traveling against the Earth’s rotation is a weird experience. The light of day came much sooner than Alyssa had expected it to, but she had never flown overseas before. The longest flight Alyssa had piloted before was only about four hours, and now they were pressing on hour six and all she could see around them was clouds.

_ “Where’d you go, Greene?” _ Emma’s voice came in her ear, urgent. _ “I lost sight. Don’t want to get in your way.” _

“I’m at… twenty one thousand feet.”

_ “Oh, okay. I’m a little below that. Give me a minute.” _ After a moment of silence, Emma’s plane rose up from the cover of the clouds behind Alyssa. _ “There you are.” _

“How you doing?”

_ “Good. We’re more than halfway there.” _

“That’s good. I’m starting to get a little tired.”

_ “Hey!” _ Emma shouted. Through the static, the voice was loud in Alyssa’s headset, startling her. Her hands jerked back on the yoke, turning the nose of her plane up so it climbed a little higher in the sky. _ “You can’t get tired! We’ve still got the rest of this trip to go!” _

“What if you sing for me?” Alyssa asked, coy. She was always a bit more confident when they were up in the sky, just the two of them.

Emma’s voice went quiet. _ “I—uh—I only know lullabies.” _

Alyssa snorted. “Sure you do.”

_ “Once we’re back on solid ground, I’ll sing for you all you… shit...” _

“Nolan?” Alyssa asked, when she suddenly trailed off. “What’s your status?”

_ “Can you look at the nose of my plane?” _ Emma asked. _ “What do you see?” _

Alyssa slowed down her flight so she was even with Emma’s plane and glanced down at it. All seemed normal for a moment, until she caught sight of the small gray cloud coming from the nose and trailing off behind her. It was mid afternoon so the sun wasn’t setting yet, but if it had been any darker she may have missed it. The sight made Alyssa’s blood run cold. “Is that smoke?”

_ “Fuck. I was hoping I was wrong.” _

“What do you— I mean, you can’t— you can’t bail out, we’re still over water.”

“_ I’m aware of that,” _ Emma muttered. _ “It’s not much right now. Maybe I can make it. I don’t want to jump if I don’t have to, I don’t trust these chutes.” _

Alyssa tightened her grip. She didn’t want that either. “We’ve got two more hours.”

_ “We’ll both keep an eye out. If it gets worse, I’ll bail.” _

“Into the ocean?!”

_ “Greene, it’s fine. Nothing to worry about yet. Just focus on flying, okay?” _

Alyssa frowned. Emma sounded far too calm for her liking. “Okay.”

Once again, the sky began to grow dark around them. Day turned to dusk, and dusk turned to nightfall.

“Local time, eighteen forty two. We’re almost there,” Alyssa muttered. She looked out at Emma’s plane. The stream of smoke coming from the engine was consistent and slowly growing thicker. “Think you can hold out?”

_ “I’m not sure. The smoke is starting to obscure my vision.” _

Alyssa sighed. “Ease up on the throttle a little. What’s your altitude?”

_ “Eighteen thousand feet.” _

“Let’s ascend. Maybe the decreased air pressure will relieve some stress on the engine.”

_ “Okay.” _

As their planes drifted higher, the clouds parted leaving a clear sky ahead of them, so the dark ocean was visible below them once again, but smoke continued to pour out of Emma’s engine.

The urgency of the situation wasn’t lost on Alyssa. Her heart raced at an anxious pace, wishing she could will them to go faster, or for the landscape beneath them to shrink and lessen the length of their journey. They were almost there, but still had a ways to go. Her eyes scanned through the darkness, and she felt a glimmer of hope when she spotted faintly, the outline of a mass of land.

“There,” she said. “Land ho.”

_ “That’s not a nice word to call somebody.” _

“Fucking hell, Nolan, if this trip doesn’t kill you, I will.” Alyssa froze at her words. She hadn’t meant to imply… “Shit,” she continued. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—“

_ “No, it’s fine, it’s good to keep things in perspective.” _

“You’re not going to die, I won’t let you.”

_ “And we both know you’re stubborn enough to keep your word on that,” _ Emma chuckled. _ “Seriously, though, if anything happens—“ _

“Just shut up and fly.” Alyssa didn’t want to listen to what she had to say. Not right now. They were so close, if she could just make it a little bit further—

_ “Fuck!” _

Alyssa didn’t have to ask what was wrong. In the darkness, it was easy enough to see the spark that caught fire, blasting part of the metal off the front of her plane. They had just passed over land, no longer drifting over the terrifying expanse of ocean, but still miles from Newchurch.

“Shit,” Alyssa gasped. “What— what do we do?”

_ “Oh boy, I’m really up the creek here,” _ Emma muttered. _ “My engine’s failing. I’ve gotta bail out.” _

The words hit Alyssa like a train. Emma was going to jump. “You can’t just—“ she sputtered, “what if you—“

_ “Greene, there’s not a lot of time and it’s the only option right—“ _

“We’re gonna get you out of this. You’re going to be fine.”

Emma laughed lightly. _ “I certainly hope so. Look, I just need you to—“ _

“You’re not fucking dying on me, Nolan, okay? I’m gonna— as soon as I land I’ll make sure they send out a patrol to come find you.” Another spark lit up the front of her plane and it violently lurched to the side. Emma quickly regained control, but there wasn’t much time.”

_ “I really appreciate that, Greene, but—“ _

“Don’t finish that sentence, please. You’re going to be fine, okay? You _ have _ to be fine because if you’re not—“

_ “Alyssa! Fuck, just listen to me for one goddamn second!” _Alyssa froze. Her eyes were glued on Emma’s plane, watching as flames flickered from the nose. The engine sputtered and her aircraft fell about fifty feet before she leveled out. Alyssa held her breath, fearing the worst.

“Okay.”

Whatever Alyssa was preparing herself for, the words Emma said were the last ones she had expected to hear. It was the furthest thing from her mind as she feared for Emma’s life. And they echoed through her head for the rest of her flight.

_ “Alyssa, I— I love you.” _

And Alyssa watched, speechless, as Emma Nolan was launched from her plane and began plummeting into the darkness below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um.... I’ll just........ see myself out. Please yell at me in the comments because I probably deserve it.


	5. Love Lives Forever and a Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Falling twenty thousand feet is... really painful. Emma tries to find her way back to Alyssa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: graphic depictions of injuries and mentions of blood and vomiting.

For a moment, free falling was one of the most blissful things Emma Nolan had ever experienced. The wind rushed past her ears in a deafening roar. It was pitch black outside, and Emma couldn’t see anything other than the stars in the sky above her and the faint outline of the earth below; it was almost as though she existed in a void.

As she fell, there was no sickening pull in her gut or nausea as she plummeted down, down, down. It didn’t even feel like she was falling. It was almost as though she was floating, like a leaf riding the breeze as it drifted from the top of a tree, slowly and carefully making its way down to the ground where it would eventually make a gentle landing.

Emma had angled her jump so that she was in a bit of a dive. Her arms stretched out before her, in perfect control of her movement. If Emma closed her eyes, she could almost pretend she had jumped off a diving board into a pool, but instead of a few short feet, it was a twenty thousand foot drop before she would stop falling, so that imaginary scenario didn’t last long.

_ Alyssa, I— I love you. _

Emma’s own words echoed in her head. Was she brave for saying them at all, or was she a coward for saying them when there was no time for Alyssa to respond?

Emma told Alyssa that she loved her and then jumped out of a damn plane. Even if this was going to be one of Emma’s final moments in the world, at least she had done that. If she died, Alyssa Greene would know that Emma Nolan loved her.

What a way to go, huh?

So for a brief moment, Emma didn’t have a single worry on her mind. All she felt was the swoop of the air rushing past her, numbing all her senses as the wind roared in her ears, and the floating sensation that manifested like a pleasant hum, tickling her chest. For a moment, Emma felt free.

That is, until the P-51 engine exploded above her.

The force of the explosion was enough to send Emma careening, her body suddenly flailing out of control in the air. She didn’t know which way was up or which way was down. Emma felt a queasiness creeping up in her gut from violently hurtling about, but she swallowed it down. She did her best to right herself midair and got her spinning somewhat under control just in time to look up and get slashed across the face with a sharp piece of metal as debris made its way toward her.

“Shit!” Emma tried to curse, but the sound was lost somewhere. She was not sure if she had lost her voice, or if the roar of the wind around her was enough to deafen her to her own words. Emma brought her hand up to her face to straighten out her goggles that had been jostled from the impact; she didn’t have time to dwell on the red blood that now covered her glove as she attempted to dodge more shrapnel flying in her direction.

The blast of the engine tore the plane apart like paper; the plane itself was already in a freefall, far away from where Emma was, but the force of the explosion had sent a lot of debris and shrapnel, as well as one of the wings that had been torn from the plane, flying directly toward her. Emma peered through the darkness to try and catch sight of Alyssa’s plane, but was unsuccessful. She hoped that meant Alyssa was safe and far, far away from the blast.

Maneuvering through the air while plummeting at terminal velocity wasn’t exactly something they taught back at training. The most their parachuting lessons consisted of was the words, “jump and pull,” and it didn’t help when all the chutes were commonly three sizes too big for most women.

Emma flailed her limbs and did her best to soar out of the way. It was mainly the wing of the plane that she was trying to avoid because if that hit her… well, she didn’t want to think about what would happen if she got conked on the head with it. And because it was the biggest thing falling in her direction, it was coming at her _ fast. _

Emma went into a nosedive and tried to angle her body away from where she thought it might fall. She didn’t even look back at it, knowing that it was only getting closer and closer, and every second mattered in trying to get away from this thing.

She felt the force of the wing as it fell past her, pushing her body further through the air. It couldn’t have missed hitting her by more than a few feet.

Emma sighed in relief, but she wasn’t in the clear yet. She covered her head with her arms as debris continued to bombard her. She swerved, narrowly avoiding larger scraps of metal, bumping into them slightly but not enough to cause any serious damage. The real problem, though, were the bits of metal shrapnel that pelted down on her, cutting into every visible bit of skin. They assailed her with enough force that it started to shred through her gloves and the thick fabric of her thick jumpsuit.

Emma just closed her eyes, covered her face with her arms, and waited for the assault to end as she continued careening through the air.

Eventually, the sting of metal cutting into Emma’s skin either stopped or she had grown numb to it over time. She opened her eyes and found herself much closer to the ground than she had been before. She needed to pull her chute while she still had time.

Emma took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She used one hand to grip the vest with all her might, hoping it would be enough to stay safely in the harness, said a quick prayer to whatever deity was listening that she’d make it out of this alive, and pulled the cord to deploy her parachute.

As soon as the chute caught the air and began to slow her descent, Emma’s body gave a violent lurch. The force of the straps around her as she almost slipped through knocked the wind out of her, but she stayed safely inside the harness. Tears streamed down her cheeks, immediately drying on her skin as the ferocious wind that whipped against her face. She painfully gasped for air, trying to catch her breath.

Emma squinted into the darkness, barely able to make out the treeline that she was fast approaching. She wasn’t sure if her fall was slowing quickly enough and she didn’t think she would be able to avoid the trees. For the first time, Emma was gripped with fear.

The edge of the woods was visible from where she was, but it was a bit too far away that she likely wouldn’t be able to reach it. She reached out and grabbed at the toggles, attempting to aim herself away from the trees, unable to do much to avoid them, but she hoped she could land as close to the outskirts of the forest as possible.

Soon enough, she dipped under the patulous canopy; twigs and branches harshly whipped at her face, but Emma couldn’t even feel the sting of pain anymore. All she had to do was brace herself as she was assaulted with cuts and scrapes once again.

Emma still hadn’t quite caught her breath and she felt the panic rising within her as the ground grew closer and closer. It was difficult to see the forest floor through the dense foliage, but she needed to be ready to react the moment she was close enough to touch down on solid ground. Her descent had slowed enough that Emma was pretty sure she would survive this, but it would still be one hell of a landing.

Emma braced herself as she approached the ground, ready to tuck and roll into it, hopefully not hurting herself anymore than she already was. Almost there… almost… _ fuck. _

Emma’s feet impacted with the ground, and she crouched to absorb some of the force, but her parachute rammed into her from behind and knocked her over. As she fell forward, one of her feet was caught on a tree root and her ankle twisted painfully for a moment before it came free. Emma pulled in her arms and knees and held herself in the fetal position as she skidded across the forest floor through dirt, rocks, twigs, branches, until her back slammed against the side of a tree, bringing her to a sudden halt.

Emma kept her eyes shut tight for a moment, hugging her legs to her chest. When she was certain the world was still, slowly she stretched out her limbs and wrenched her eyes open.

Oof.

Every inch of her body ached from the fall, but she was alive.

As Emma pushed herself upright into a sitting position, the nausea surged in her stomach. Feeling the bile rise up in her throat, Emma crawled onto knees and vomited into the dirt, heaving painfully.

“Fuck,” she groaned. She wiped her mouth, wishing she had some water to quench her thirst, or at least get the bitter taste out of her mouth.

This time, Emma moved more slowly. Every single movement, Emma felt pain somewhere on her body. She eased herself upright and carefully wriggled out of the harness of the parachute so she could lean back against the tree. She pulled the tight goggles she wore off her face and dug through her pockets for her glasses. The case was smashed in, which wasn’t a good sign, but when she placed the glasses on her nose, there was only one small crack that didn’t obscure her vision too much.

“Okay,” Emma muttered to herself as she sighed in relief. Sometimes it was the little things that made all the difference.

Emma took a minute to compose herself, catch her breath. As she sat, she inspected her injuries as best she could in the pitch dark cover of the trees. Not even the moonlight could peek through the thick canopy, so she had to wait until her eyes adjusted.

Her head seemed fine, so Emma didn’t think she was concussed. That was good. All of her cuts and scrapes were mostly surface level, so it was nothing too urgent, but she grabbed the small first aid kit that somehow, miraculously survived the fall and took out some dressing to treat the larger gashes, particularly the scrape down her forehead. The blood was almost starting to drip into her eye, so Emma cleaned that up and hastily bandaged it. Once she had that taken care of, everything else was pretty minor compared to it.

The worst, though, was Emma’s chest and her ankle. Her ribs ached, and she feared they might be broken, but there was nothing she could do about that now. She would just have to live with it and hope she didn’t accidentally damage them even more.

Emma rolled up the leg of her jumpsuit and pulled down her sock. It was red and starting to swell.

“Shit,” she muttered.

Emma eased off her shoe, wincing when the pain shot through her ankle. Carefully, she used the supplies from the first aid kit to wrap her ankle as best she could and slipped her shoe back on her foot. Once Emma was satisfied with what she could do for the time being, she slowly got to her feet.

Testing her weight on her bad ankle was tricky. It hurt like hell, and she really shouldn’t be walking on it for fear of damaging it further, but it was dark and if people were out looking for her, she had to be somewhere she could be found. She had to get out of the cover of all these damn trees.

Emma knew she was near the edge of the forest because she had seen where it ended from up above. And if Alyssa made it safely to Newchurch, she was going to be sending out a patrol to find her eventually. She had to find a road, or something, somewhere she could be seen. Somewhere Alyssa could find her.

She would make it back to Alyssa.

Emma fished through her pocket and pulled out her compass. _ East, _ she thought. _ Newchurch is east. _She found a large, sturdy branch to use as a walking stick, oriented herself in the right direction, and set off east toward Newchurch, toward Alyssa.

* * *

Emma had no idea how long she was walking.

It could have been minutes, it could have been hours. All she knew was that her ankle twinged with pain every single step she took, and that her ribs ached every time she moved her torso to peer around a tree or whenever she heard a sudden noise and reacted instinctively, turning to listen closer. It wasn’t a pleasant trek. Her wristwatch had broken in the fall, and with it being so dark outside, there wasn’t much she could do to keep track of the passage of time.

Eventually, she made it out of the forest. The trees thinned out into a clear field and Emma could see the night sky above her. She scanned the stars and quickly spotted Delphinus, the constellation Alyssa had pointed out to her what was only hours ago. At this point, it felt like it had been days ago.

Emma scanned her surroundings, searching for a road, a building, a street light, _ something _ that would give her a direction to travel. The best option, unfortunately, was a steep hill that obscured most of her view. It would be a bitch to climb but when she got to the top she should hopefully be able to find some sort of landmark. At least, that’s what she hoped for.

Each step on the uphill climb grew more and more difficult. Emma had to take multiple breaks, leaning on her makeshift walking stick. She felt the pinch of splinters embedding themselves in her hands from her grip on the stick, but she shook it off and carried on. The hill was steep and she had to tread carefully for fear of slipping, or hurting her good ankle. She was exhausted, parched, and with every breath she took, her lungs painfully pressed against her ribcage. All she wanted was to lie down, close her eyes, and let sleep come but if she did that now she might never be found.

Whenever Emma wanted to give up, her mind drifted to Alyssa. The thought of seeing her face again was what pushed her forward and finally, _ finally _ she reached the apex of the hill and scanned her surroundings.

Emma thought she might cry with relief when she spotted an anfractuous road before her, twisting between hills and around the trees. She delicately clutched at her ribs, leaned on her walking stick, and slowly made her way down the hill on the opposite side. Thankfully, this side of the hill was much less steep than the uphill climb. Emma was able to take her time on the way down, knowing there was a destination in sight. A road that would lead somewhere, hopefully to Newchurch.

When she was about halfway there, the dim glow of headlights rounded a bend in the road and a car came into view. A lorry was passing by, and Emma realized whoever was driving could easily miss her in the darkness of the night.

She hurried her steps, ignoring the pain in her ankle, trying to move faster and focus on not slipping and falling down the rest of the hill. She just had to make it to the road. As the vehicle got closer, Emma thought she was just out of range of their headlights as they rounded another bend, but it was close enough that maybe if she shouted, they would hear her.

She hadn’t quite reached the road yet, but as the lorry was about to pass her, Emma dropped the stick to wave her arms and shouted, “HEY!”

Emma watched as the car drove right past her, then suddenly screeched to a halt. The driver backed up the vehicle and turned it so it was facing Emma, casting the yellow glow of lights over her. She squinted at the sudden brightness of the headlights in her eyes and took a few steps closer as she continued, hoping they could hear her. “My name is Emma Nolan and I just fell out of a plane. I could use some help…”

Emma’s words trailed off as the passenger door flew open and a silhouetted figure came running toward her at full speed. The driver also stepped out of the car and followed at a slower pace.

Once the first figure was only ten feet away, they slowed down, approaching her a bit more cautiously. They stepped in front of the headlights, blocking the harsh glare in her eyes and Emma could finally make out the face of Alyssa Greene in front of her, tear stained cheeks, and a look of utter relief on her face.

She stopped just in front of Emma, taking in her appearance with concern. The torn clothes, shoddily cleaned up wounds, hand clutching her ribs, hastily wrapped ankle and the discarded walking stick beside her, not to mention all the blood and dirt that Emma felt was caked all across her skin. She must look like a mess.

“Oh, Emma,” Alyssa sobbed, as she threw her arms over her shoulders and hugged her tight.

“Ow!” Emma cried out instinctively as the pressure from Alyssa’s excited embrace hurt her chest.

“I’m so—I’m sorry!” Alyssa stepped back, and though the pain subsided, Emma immediately missed her arms. Instead of hugging her, Alyssa took Emma’s hands, leaned in close, and gently rested her forehead against hers. Alyssa’s eyes shone with tears and all Emma could think was how she would give anything to have the privilege of looking into them every day for the rest of her life.

As Alyssa took in her appearance, she brought one hand up to Emma’s cheek and lightly brushed away some of the dirt. Her eyes regarded Emma with a gentle concern that made Emma suddenly feel calm, safe, like nothing bad could ever happen again now that she was with Alyssa.

“Please,” Alyssa whispered, “don’t ever do that to me again. I was so scared.”

“I won’t.” Emma’s voice came out rough, straining the back of her dry throat. She coughed lightly. “I promise.”

When Alyssa looked at her like that, Emma knew she would promise anything in the world.

Her eyes flitted down to Alyssa’s lips. Maybe the universe was on her side after all. Maybe Emma survived that twenty thousand foot drop and found her again simply because she was never meant to die without kissing Alyssa Greene.

As Emma leaned in, another voice called out, “Emma, thank God!” Emma quickly jumped away from Alyssa, startled. She had forgotten that they weren’t alone because for a moment, all that existed was Alyssa. As Emma stepped back, she tried to pull her hand away but Alyssa only held on tighter, keeping their hands locked together.

Angie approached them and wrapped Emma in a gentle side hug, kissing the top of her head, so happy to see Emma alive and well. Or, as well as she could be given the circumstances.

“Alyssa arrived at the base completely distraught,” she explained. “I was so worried, but thankfully she remembered the approximate coordinates of your drop. At first they didn’t want to send out a search team until morning but then Colonel Glickman slipped me the keys and told us to go look for you.”

Emma opened her mouth to reply, but all that came out was a hacking cough. She was parched.

“Oh, here, hon.” Angie grabbed a canteen from her side, unscrewed the lid, and offered it to Emma. “Drink slow.”

Emma nodded her thanks and graciously accepted the water, using all her self restraint to not chug it down. Even just a few small sips of the cool liquid soothed her throat and already made her feel a little better. “Thanks.” Her voice was still a little hoarse as she handed the canteen back to Angie. “Got anything stronger than that?” she joked.

Alyssa let out a sharp laugh and Emma turned to look at her again. She wiped the tears from her eyes with her free hand and smiled at Emma. “You look like shit, Nolan.”

Emma chuckled softly, ignoring the sharp pain in her ribs. “Feel like it too.”

“Come on, let’s get you in the car and back to the base,” Angie said.

Emma took a step forward, but groaned in pain at the pressure on her foot. “Hey,” Alyssa muttered, her voice soft with concern. “Take it easy. Come here.” She looped an arm around Emma’s back to support some of her weight. Her grip was firm, but gentle enough to not hurt.

Emma much preferred the warmth of Alyssa’s side to the walking stick she had been using. Her arm circled around Alyssa’s neck, holding her close, breathing her in, and began to limp a bit more easily with Alyssa’s help. The two of them followed Angie back to the truck.

Alyssa helped Emma into the back and then climbed in after her. She took Emma’s hand and led her to the bench seats, where the two of them sat down. Emma moaned as she lowered herself to sit, the fire in her chest still burning painfully.

“Do you want to lie down?” Alyssa asked.

“That might help.”

Alyssa helped her stretch her legs out across the bench, propping up her injured foot with a backpack, and gently lowered Emma onto the bench until she was laying down, her head on Alyssa’s lap like a pillow. She stroked Emma’s hair, running her fingers through the tangled, blonde locks, pulling out the occasional leaf that had gotten stuck in it and smoothing it out. Emma hummed contentedly at the feeling.

The engine started and the truck lurched forward. At every curve or bump in the road, Emma hissed in pain as it jostled her from her comfortable position.

“Shh.” Alyssa’s hands were gentle as cupped Emma’s cheek and brushed her thumb against her skin. “I’ve got you, Emma.” She took Emma’s hand in her own and brought it to her lips. When Alyssa’s soft lips kissed Emma’s knuckles with a gentle wonder, Emma felt her heart stop.

“Alyssa—”

“It’s a bit of a drive back,” Alyssa interrupted with an apologetic look. “Try to get some rest. I’ll be right here.” She punctuated her words with another soft kiss to the back of Emma’s hand, before she brought their hands back down to rest on Emma’s belly. “We can talk when we get back.”

Emma found herself nodding dumbly. “Okay,” she said, yawning, suddenly realizing just how exhausted she was. She didn’t think her limbs would move anywhere right now, even if she wanted them to. For now, she was happy to be alive, happy to be here with Alyssa, slowly being lulled to sleep by the hum of tires on the road.

Emma’s eyes drifted closed. She felt Alyssa’s hand leave hers for a moment, and she almost whined out in disappointment, until her touch returned a moment later. Alyssa pulled Emma’s hand closer, cupping it in both of her own, and a finger began tapping out a simple pattern onto her hand. Emma was so exhausted that she almost didn’t recognize it as morse code.

As she felt the temptation of a deep slumber pulling her from consciousness, Emma used the last ounces of her willpower to decipher what Alyssa was trying to say. As the pattern restarted, Emma translated, letter by letter, until everything went dark and she wasn’t sure if the message was real or if she had dreamt it.

_ L O V E Y O U _

* * *

The first thing Emma became aware of when she woke was the uncomfortable dry mouth she had after a long slumber. God, she needed a glass of water. She swallowed, but it didn’t do much to help.

As Emma rolled over onto her side, she realized that her body wasn’t quite as sore as she remembered. The sharp pain in her ribs had faded to a dull ache, and now that she wasn’t standing on her bad ankle she could hardly feel any pain at all. Carefully, she stretched it out, pointing her toe, and it twinged again. There it was. Still, Emma was in a lot less pain than she thought she would be. After some rest, she must have started to heal a little.

Her ears began to pick up hushed voices from nearby. One voice was very familiar, but the other belonged to a stranger, she had never heard it before.

“What was your approximate elevation at the time of the incident?” a man’s voice asked.

“A little over twenty thousand feet,” Alyssa replied. Emma sighed at the sound of her voice. Wherever Alyssa was, Emma needed her closer. She wrenched her eyes open.

“And how far were you from RAF Newchurch?”

“About a hundred miles.”

Emma’s vision was blurry, and the dim lighting in the room didn’t help as she tried to figure out where she was. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her sight, but there was no change. She closed her eyes again, starting to get a headache from the strain.

“And did Nolan say anything to you before she jumped?”

There was a pause. “Just— just that her engine was failing. There was no other option but to bail out.”

“How soon after she bailed did the P-51 explode?”

“Uh— I— I’m not too sure,” Alyssa muttered. “It couldn’t have been more than five seconds or so. It all happened so fast.”

Emma rubbed her eyes as she shifted in bed to sit upright, hoping to get a better look at her surroundings.

“Are you all right, Greene? I’m sure this was difficult on—”

“Emma!”

There was the sound of footsteps and a dip in the mattress. Emma wrenched her eyes open once again. This time, her vision blurred for a moment before slowly sharpening out as she felt her glasses being pushed onto the bridge of her nose.

The first thing she saw was Alyssa’s face, inches from her own, hands lingering at her cheeks after putting Emma’s glasses on. She sat perched on the edge of Emma’s bed, and concern filled her brown eyes.

“Where am I?” Emma croaked.

“Infirmary,” Alyssa muttered. “At Newchurch.” She grabbed a glass of water from the side table next to Emma’s bed and held it out for her. “Here, drink.”

Emma graciously accepted the glass of water, and Alyssa helped her sit up with a gentle hand on her back. Emma brought the glass to her lips and sipped at it slowly as she took a look around the room.

It looked like your standard military infirmary, with rows and rows of cots lined up. Most of the beds were empty, except for a few injured men who were fast asleep, covered in burns and bandages. Emma’s bed was surrounded by a partition curtain that was currently drawn open. Emma glanced out the windows to see that it was still dark outside, and the interior was only lit by dim lamplight on her bedside table.

Next to her bed was two chairs, one of which was occupied by a man that Emma did not recognize. He held a clipboard with some papers and a ballpoint pen as he finished writing something down, turned the page, and looked up at Emma.

“Nolan,” he said with a friendly smile. “I’m Colonel Glickman, but you can just call me Barry. I was just here taking Alyssa’s statement on what happened. If you’re up for it, I’d love to get yours as well—”

“She just woke up, give her some time,” Alyssa snipped, frustrated. Barry raised an eyebrow at her and looked back and forth between Emma and Alyssa, a knowing glint in his eye. His lips quirked into a small smile, and Emma wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but she oddly felt she could trust him.

“Alyssa,” Emma said softly, placing a hand on Alyssa’s arm to calm her down. Immediately, her shoulders relaxed as she met Emma’s eyes. “I’m okay.” She turned to Barry and replied, “I’m up for it. What do you need to know?”

“Well, in short, could you recount, in your words, what happened?”

“We were still over the Atlantic when the engine started smoking,” Emma explained, thinking back to the somewhat hazy events that lead to her in this infirmary. “Everything was fine except for the smoke and I couldn’t bail out over water, so I said we should press on. All was fine until we were almost there. The smoke started to obscure my vision and soon after that the engine caught fire. If I hadn’t jumped when I did, I would’ve been blown up with the plane.” She noticed the subtle movement of Alyssa’s fist clenching out of the corner of her eye.

Barry began to jot down notes on his clipboard as he listened to Emma. “How long was there smoke coming from the engine before it caught fire?”

“Um,” Emma thought for a moment. “About… an hour, I think?”

“And you didn’t want to bail out earlier?”

Emma frowned and shook her head. “We were over the ocean. We had just crossed over onto land when things got worse. And if there was a chance of getting the P-51 to Newchurch in one piece I was going to take it and you could have made the repairs here. It wasn’t much of a problem until the engine caught fire. If that hadn’t happened, I might have made it. We were almost there.”

“And did you communicate anything to Greene before you jumped?”

“I— I’m sorry?” Emma sputtered, eyes wide. How could he have known what she said?

“Did you communicate the state of your engine? The smoke? Tell her to keep her distance or keep going?”

“Oh! Um…” she glanced to Alyssa to meet her eyes, see if she remembered or even cared what Emma said. Alyssa kept her eyes firmly glued to her lap, where she played with the hem of her shirt. “I— I just told her my engine was failing and I had to bail out. She promised she would get a team to search for me once she landed, so I guess she’s the reason I’m here now.”

Barry glanced down at his notes. “Well, I suppose that’s all I need for now. Rest up, Nolan. We can talk more later. Your jumpsuit got a little, er, shredded in the fall, so it’s been disposed of. I left you some of my old clothes that didn’t fit anymore.” Emma glanced down at herself, feeling a little self conscious as she suddenly realized that she had been stripped out of her jumpsuit, leaving her in only a thin, white tank top and what was probably a spare pair of dungarees that felt a few sizes too large. Barry gestured to the bedside table, where a stack of folded clothes sat for her. “They’re all yours. Greene, will you be staying with her?”

Alyssa immediately nodded. “Yes, of course.”

Barry nodded, and stood up from his chair. As he stepped away from the bed, he glanced back at Emma over his shoulder, winked, and closed the partition curtains around her bed with a flourish, leaving Emma and Alyssa in relative privacy.

Emma couldn’t bring herself to look at Alyssa. She tried to adjust herself, sitting upright, but the ache of her ribs stopped her. She gritted her teeth and stared down at her bed.

Alyssa cleared her throat. “Um, the nurse said you’re free to go whenever you feel up for it.”

“Really?” Emma was surprised. She was sure her injuries were worse than that.

“Yeah,” Alyssa said with a breathless laugh. “She said you got off pretty lucky. Your ribs are bruised from the harness of your chute, and you have a sprained ankle from the landing. They put the ankle in a splint, left a crutch for you to use, and bandaged and cleaned up everything else. You’re almost good as new.”

She turned her head up to give Emma a tired smile, and Emma finally got a good look at her. Alyssa looked exhausted. She still wore her flying gear, though her jumpsuit was pulled down and tied around her waist as pants. The shirt she wore underneath was messy and wrinkled with a few buttons undone and collar folded up on one side, as if she had been wearing it far too long and lost track of her appearance. Alyssa’s hair was a mess, pulled up in a bun but looked like it hadn’t been brushed in days. Her eyes were bloodshot, though Emma wasn’t sure if it was from crying or lack of sleep, and there were dark bags underneath. How the sight of Alyssa in any state always managed to take her breath away, Emma would never know.

“What time is it?”

“Almost five. You’ve been asleep for over six hours.”

“Shit.”

“No, it’s good, you needed the rest.”

“So do you,” Emma said. “Seriously, have you slept at all?”

Alyssa shrugged. “A little? I was worried about you.”

“Eh, I’m fine— oww…” Emma groaned as she stretched out her legs and pain shot through her ankle.

“Are sure you’re fine?” Alyssa raised an eyebrow at her. Her lips curled up in an amused smirk.

Emma shrugged. “I will be. I guess the first step is getting out of bed.” She groaned as she pushed herself up from the pillows and into a sitting position, dangling her feet over the edge so she sat next to Alyssa.

“Hey, take it easy. There’s no rush to get you out of here.”

“I’m fine,” Emma groaned. Alyssa laughed lightly and put an arm around her for support. Her hand found the small of Emma’s back. “Has everyone else made it all right?”

Alyssa nodded. “So far, yes. Kaylee was here earlier, checking in on you.”

“That’s nice of her.”

Emma fumbled with the bedsheets under her fingers as an awkward silence fell between them. She didn’t know what to say, and she wasn’t sure if Alyssa wanted her to address the elephant between them. Emma had said everything in those three little words, but that left so much else left unsaid.

“Emma…” Alyssa spoke up, suddenly nervous. “Do— do you remember what you said? Before you jumped.”

Emma froze. She studied Alyssa who looked straight ahead as she worried her bottom lip between her teeth and furrowed her brow in contemplation. She was impossible to read, and the courage that had temporarily imbued Emma when she looked death in the eyes had long faded, but she owed it to Alyssa to be honest. “I remember everything,” she said.

There was a pregnant pause as Emma closed her eyes and held her breath, until finally Alyssa spoke up. Her voice was quiet, barely a whisper, but Emma heard it so clearly. “Did you mean it?”

Slowly, Emma nodded. “I did,” she sighed, looking down at her feet, and with the words there was a weight lifted from her chest. And suddenly she needed Alyssa to know exactly how she felt, though Emma feared she wouldn’t even be able to describe exactly how she felt. _ I love you more than words can express _ is a phrase that even fell short of the depth of how Emma felt. She settled for tacking on, “More than you know.”

Emma let out a shaky breath, and she felt as a single tear slid down her cheek. A moment later, Alyssa’s hand found Emma’s where it rested on the bed between them. She tangled their fingers together and gave a gentle squeeze. “I think I know.”

Her heart thudded in her chest as she anxiously turned to look at Alyssa to see her eyes shining with tears. Emma had not known what love looked like in someone else’s eyes until she felt the way Alyssa looked at her now. Alyssa’s deep brown eyes gazed into her own and it was like drinking freshly brewed coffee on a cold morning, warming her up from the inside. She leaned in and Emma felt her heart stop.

The first press of Alyssa’s lips against her own warmed Emma’s soul more than the best cup of coffee in the world. It was a warmth that sprouted in her chest and slowly trailed through every inch of her body, curling in her toes, traveling all the way to the tips of her fingers as they brushed against Alyssa’s cheek.

The kiss was all too brief for Emma’s liking, a fleeting moment of pure bliss. It was everything Emma had wanted, everything she had dreamt of, everything she had hoped for, all wrapped up in one perfect instant. Alyssa’s lips were chapped, and her hands trembled as she cupped Emma’s cheeks, and tears fell down her cheeks, and then a moment later, she had pulled back, leaving Emma breathless.

“You—“ Emma gasped, at a loss for words. “I— I don’t—“

Alyssa frowned and leaned back, clearly misinterpreting what Emma was trying to say. Emma mentally cursed herself for not being better with words. “I’m so sorry, Emma, I thought… I don’t know, I—”

And Emma decided to use her actions where words were suddenly failing her. Her hands found Alyssa’s cheeks to pull her in and Emma kissed her again. Alyssa’s lips fell open in a soft gasp, that Emma kissed with a delicious desperation, praying that she could communicate with her lips that she would do anything, _ anything _ for Alyssa. All she had to do was ask.

When they parted this time, Emma held Alyssa close; she snaked an arm around her back and held it there not wanting to let her go even for a second. She pressed their foreheads together and tucked a curl behind Alyssa’s ear. Alyssa’s eyes were still closed, left in a daze, and her breath was short.

“You…” she sighed, trailing off as her eyes opened.

“Yeah,” Emma muttered. She brushed their noses together gently. Alyssa licked her lips, smiling at Emma with a look of pure adoration before she leaned in once again and captured her lips in another gentle kiss.

Emma was so caught up in the new taste of Alyssa’s lips on hers and the feeling soft skin under her fingertips; she was startled by the loud sirens that went off, wailing throughout the base.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with me through this. Shout out to Britt for having the brain cell and giving me the Morse code love you idea.
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated I love you ❤️


	6. Darkness at Noon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 04:58  
Their kiss ends far too abruptly for Alyssa’s liking. Her eyes were still closed and she could still feel the ghost of Emma’s lips against hers when she fully registered the noise. Sirens.
> 
> Alyssa gulped. “Is that…?”
> 
> Emma nodded. “Air raid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter than usual. CW for mentions gunfire/bombs, descriptions of injuries, and mentions of character death.

_ 04:58 _

Their kiss ends far too abruptly for Alyssa’s liking. Her eyes were still closed and she could still feel the ghost of Emma’s lips against hers when she fully registered the noise. Sirens.

Alyssa gulped. “Is that…?”

Emma nodded. “Air raid.”

“Okay, um…” Alyssa could feel herself beginning to panic. She gathered the clothes Barry left for Emma in her arms and handed Emma’s crutch to her. “We— we should get going.”

Alyssa drew open the curtained partition around Emma’s bed to see the infirmary jumping to life. Nurses had filed in, helping injured men out of their beds. Alyssa stayed close to Emma’s side as she got used to walking with the crutch, and they made their way outside.

Outside was chaos. Sure, Alyssa had been living on military bases for over a year, but they were in America, far, far from the front lines. This was right on the outskirts of one of the most violent wars in history, and they were suddenly caught in the crossfire. Most able bodied men were rushing toward the runway, pulling on helmets, ready to get in their fighters and counter the attack. Everyone else was being corralled toward the air raid shelters. Alyssa felt a sudden fire in her veins as she clenched her fists and marched toward the runway.

Alyssa spotted Barry across the way, barking orders at soldiers as they ran past. Instead of heading for a shelter, she walked up to him. Emma followed her but trailed behind, moving slowly on her crutch. “Colonel Glickman,” Alyssa saluted. “What can I do?”

“You can get in a shelter and stay there until it’s safe,” he dismissed, then began to walk toward the runway.

“I can’t just sit around doing nothing!” Alyssa argued, storming after him. “There’s women who are still flying out there. My  _ friends. _ I’m a pilot, I was trained for this! I can help!”

“You don’t have combat training and my men do, it’s that simple. We’ll keep your girls safe.”

“This is bullshit—”

Barry stopped walking and turned on Alyssa, glaring down at her. “Do you want to die, Greene? A lot of these men aren’t going to come back! I know it’s bullshit, but sitting out will keep you alive. We’ll keep your girls safe as they come in, don’t worry.”

Alyssa stopped in her tracks, startled by the abrupt force of his words, but he had a point. The best thing she could do right now was take care of… Emma! Alyssa spun around and scanned the crowd, but Emma had disappeared in the chaos.

“Nolan!” she called out, frantically weaving through the crowd, trying to find her. Finally she spotted Emma in a group being ushered outside toward the air raid shelters, and Alyssa took off running after her.

It was still dark outside. The sky was an ugly dark brown color as the sky faded between the black night and the glowing orange of the pending sunrise just before dawn. There was a row of Stanton shelters that women and injured soldiers were filtering into. The air was filled with a cacophony of voices as people rushed into the shelters and the roar of engines as fighters took off into the air, heading north. For a moment of panic, Alyssa lost sight of Emma once again. And then she found a glimpse of blonde hair and a white tank top, looking around as she trailed into a bunker with a group of others.

Just then, someone began to shove Alyssa in the opposite direction toward a different shelter. She quickly ducked under their arm and ran toward Emma, catching up with her just before she disappeared inside the concrete structure. She stepped up to Emma’s side and grabbed her hand, squeezing tight. Emma turned to her with a look of relief on her face. They were the last people to step into the cold, dimly lit, crowded room.

“Don’t worry,” Alyssa muttered into her ear. “I’m not letting you go again.”

The shelter doors closed behind them and the roar of engines faded to a distant, muffled hum.

* * *

_ 06:02 _

Inside the shelter was dead quiet.

Once Emma and Alyssa were inside, Alyssa found a corner for them to settle down in, helping Emma sit with her back against the wall, injured leg stretched out in front of her. Alyssa sat down next to her, held her close, buried her face in Emma’s shoulder as Emma’s fingers brushed through Alyssa’s hair. They didn’t say anything. They just stayed like that for a while.

It was dark, too. Thick, concrete walls reinforced with steel trapped them from the outside world so even if the sun was shining, they would never know. The only light came from a single, dim bulb on the ceiling at the center of the room. Alyssa found herself staring at her wristwatch, eyes glued to the tiny hands as the seconds ticked by, minutes dragging on like hours, and all they could do was wait in an unsettling silence.

It took a while for Alyssa’s eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, but when they finally did, she studied the room, scanning all the faces to see if there was anyone else she knew in here. There was no sign of Kaylee or Angie, or any of their other friends, but Alyssa was surprised when she did spot a familiar face across the room from her, though it belonged to someone she had never met before.

His torso and left arm were bandaged, and there were burn scars that crept up the side of his face, but Alyssa had seen Shelby’s photos enough to recognize her husband. Kevin Shields was alive, and he was here.

“Oh my god.”

“What’s wrong?” Emma asked, concerned.

“That’s Shelby’s husband,” Alyssa breathed, pointing out the man who sat alone across the room. “He’s alive.”

“Oh my god,” Emma echoed.

“Stay here,” Alyssa muttered. She glanced around to see if anyone was watching, then pressed a quick kiss to the top of Emma’s head before she stood up. “I’m going to talk to him.”

Emma nodded, and Alyssa walked across the room, careful to avoid stepping on hands and feet as people were sprawled out on the floor. There were maybe twenty or so people crammed into this tiny room, and those who were injured needed more space to lie down or spread out, so it was packed. Alyssa could feel herself overheating already from all the bodies trapped in this enclosed space, but she supposed it was better to be uncomfortable in here than to be dead out there.

Kevin sat alone, eyes closed, leaning his head back against the wall. Alyssa cleared her throat. “Kevin Shields?”

One eye opened and looked at her. “Who’s asking?”

“Alyssa Greene,” she introduced, sitting down next to him. “I’m a friend of your wife’s.”

Immediately, Kevin’s face lit up. “You know Shelby?”

Alyssa nodded. “She’s one of my best friends. We’re both WASPs. We trained together and we’ve been stationed at Fort Davis together for a while.”

Kevin’s smile turned into one of recognition. “She’s mentioned you in a few of her letters. All good things, I promise.”

“That’s surprising,” Alyssa snorted. “She’s been worried about you, though. She hadn’t heard from you since you left for Normandy.”

“Yeah,” Kevin sighed. “That was brutal.” He gestured to the bandages on his torso and arm, the cracked and peeling red burns on his face. “This was a little gift from the Nazis. Land mines.”

“Fuck.”

“I got lucky, though. There were a lot of guys who didn’t make it…” The look in his eyes became far off and distant for a moment before he snapped himself out of it. “Anyway, they flew me back here to recover because it was the closest safe place. I actually just found out they’re discharging me because my hand isn’t healing quite as fast as they’d hoped. I was supposed to head back to the states today, but it doesn’t look like that’s happening for now.”

“Shelby is going to be so happy to hear that,” Alyssa smiled.

“How is she?” Kevin asked. “Is she here?”

Alyssa’s face dropped. “She’s good… and she’s not here. Not yet.”

“Not yet?” Alyssa shook her head. “You mean she’s on her way?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck.” Kevin groaned in frustration and buried his head in his hands. “She’s gotta fly through all that shit out there?”

“Maybe it’ll be over by the time she arrives?” Alyssa suggested, though she knew these air raids could last hours, sometimes even days. If Shelby was coming anytime soon, she would have to be careful. At least she was paired with her old partner Maggie and they knew how to look out for each other.

“Maybe…” Kevin said, but he didn’t sound like he believed her.

* * *

_ 09:13 _

Kevin and Alyssa both eventually made their way back to the opposite side of the room where Emma sat, waiting. She had fallen asleep in the time Alyssa was gone, and Alyssa watched her snore softly with an endeared smile on her lips. Alyssa was glad she was able to find a little bit of peace in the midst of all this chaos.

The peace didn’t last long because soon, the sound of distant rumbling and gunfire carried through the thick walls of the bunker. Everyone in the room held their breath. There was no way to know how close the sounds were, but they couldn’t be too far. Every time there was another noise, Alyssa would startle and accidentally jostle Emma in her sleep.

Eventually, she woke up.

“I’m sorry,” Alyssa whispered.

“What’s going on?” Emma mumbled sleepily.

“We can hear something happening not too far,” Alyssa explained. “It’s just got me a little on edge. Go back to sleep.”

“Hey, are you okay?” Emma rubbed her eyes under her glasses, but she immediately seemed more awake and concerned. Then, another rumble shook the shelter and Alyssa startled again. Emma froze, her face going pale. “Shit.”

“Yeah,” Alyssa sighed. Her heart raced anxiously, but she didn’t want to cause any worry for Emma.

A moment later, Alyssa felt warmth pulling her hand away from the cold stone floor as Emma found her hand and laced their fingers together. Alyssa let out a breath she didn’t realize was stuck in her throat and leaned into Emma’s side, resting her head on her shoulder. She felt Emma’s rough fingertips in her palm, listened to the calming rhythm of her breath, inhaled her smell, hoping if she just overflowed her senses with  _ Emma _ it would drown out everything else.

* * *

_ 14:37 _

Alyssa’s eyes were heavy as she wrenched them open, slowly. Somehow she had gone from leaning against Emma’s shoulder to laying down with her head in Emma’s lap as she dozed off over time. Her exhaustion and lack of sleep while she had been worried about Emma the night before must have finally caught up with her. Alyssa had no idea how long she had been asleep and glanced down at her watch to see it had been about five hours. Despite the cramped quarters and the hard floor, she still felt content using Emma’s lap as a pillow. Really, as long as she was close to Emma, able to reassure herself that she was here, that she was alive, it was enough for Alyssa.

One of Emma’s hands absently stroked Alyssa’s hair while her other hand was preoccupied, holding a few playing cards. Alyssa hummed sleepily and let her eyes drift closed once again, almost soothed back to slumber by the gentle pattern of Emma’s fingers in her hair.

“Well?” Emma’s cocky voice questioned.

There was a pause before Kevin said shakily, “Hit me.” There was the sound of a card being drawn from a deck, and then a silent, almost inaudible,  _ “Fuck.” _

“Show ‘em.” Alyssa could practically hear the cheeky grin in Emma’s voice as she spoke.

“Twenty two.”

“Ha!” Emma exclaimed. “Thank god, my cards were shit. Seventeen.”

Alyssa opened her eyes again and turned over so she laid on her back, looking up at Emma. At the movement, Emma stopped her bragging and smiled down at Alyssa, her eyes suddenly shining with concern.

“Hey,” she said. Her voice immediately had a much softer tone than when she spoke to Kevin. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“‘S okay,” Alyssa mumbled, still a little sleepy. “I was already awake.” She let out a long, drawn out yawn and stretched her limbs out until her joints cracked. “What are you playing?”

“Burn and turn,” Emma said. “Want a go?”

Alyssa shook her head. “I’m okay. Still waking up.” She yawned again.

“You’re cute.” The words left Emma’s mouth in a breathless whisper. Alyssa watched as Emma’s cheeks turned bright red when she realized she had accidentally said that out loud. She glanced over to Kevin who hadn’t seemed to notice; he was preoccupied as he struggled to shuffle the deck properly and eventually gave up and began to mix the cards around on the floor next to him. Alyssa chuckled, then glanced back up to Emma who still looked embarrassed.

She reached out for Emma’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze, as if to say  _ it’s okay. _ That seemed to relax her. What Alyssa really wanted to do was kiss the embarrassed frown off her lips and tell her how cute she is too, but not now. Not here.

They hadn’t really even spoken yet about what they were doing, what they wanted. They never got the chance to before those sirens went off, and they had been a little preoccupied before that with kissing. Alyssa let out a wistful sigh as her thoughts drifted back to Emma’s lips against hers.

It was some kiss.

Somehow, Alyssa knew that Emma’s thoughts had drifted to the same moment. Her eyes flitted down to Alyssa’s lips and the corner of her mouth twitched up in a small, secret smile. For a moment in this crowded bunker in the middle of an air raid, it felt like the two of them were the only people who existed.

They were shaken from the moment when Kevin cleared his throat to get Emma’s attention. “You ready, Nolan?”

Emma’s gaze moved forward and her smile turned into something more cheeky and confident. “You ready to get your ass kicked again, Shields?”

Slowly, Alyssa moved from her position laying down with her head in Emma’s lap. She sat cross legged on the floor and rested her chin in her hand as she watched them play through another game, which Emma easily won again.

“Has there been any news yet?” Alyssa asked softly.

Emma shook her head. “Not yet. We’re still stuck in here. No word on who’s arrived safely.”

The conversation seemed to turn Kevin’s mood sour. “I think I’m done for now,” he mumbled, returning his cards and pushing the deck back toward Emma so it sat on the floor next to her knee.

“Kevin, I didn’t mean to—“

“No, it’s okay. I just… it was nice to forget about things for a little while, but now that it’s back at the front of my mind I think I’ll just be distracted. Probably won’t be much fun to play cards with.”

“We’re all worried, Kevin,” Alyssa said. “I’m sure we’ll hear something soon.”

“I know,” he sighed. His eyes glistened as he willed himself not to cry. “I know. I just want to see my wife.”

Alyssa’s heart broke for him as he stood up and walked back to the corner in which he sat before. He pulled his knees to his chest, leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.

“How are you doing?” Emma asked, placing a hand on Alyssa’s knee. “Shelby’s one of your best friends.”

“It’s killing me, not knowing,” Alyssa admitted. “Not as much as Kevin, though. And not as much as it killed me when you jumped out of that plane.”

Emma chuckled lightly. “Well I’m here now.”

“Yeah,” Alyssa breathed. “You are.” Alyssa looked into her eyes, wanting to commit every color to memory, but she knew she could look into Emma’s eyes every single day for the rest of her life and still never memorize their depths. The thought was exhilarating.

Everyone in the bunker was startled when there was a loud creak as the door opened. A few people stood up, looking to see what was happening, if they were free to go yet. Alyssa turned her eyes away from Emma to find out what was going on.

Angie’s head poked through the door. “Is there room for one more in here?” she asked. “We’ve got a girl who just arrived. Most of the other shelters are starting to fill up with all the new arrivals.”

A few people nodded, so she opened the door a little wider. Alyssa held her breath as she watched Kevin across the room. They both were hoping Shelby would walk through that door.

Instead, the woman who walked inside was Brooke Baker, a friend of Kaylee’s. Alyssa had only met her for the first time just the other day. She was glad Brooke was safe, but the anxiety in her heart hadn’t been quelled, and probably wouldn’t be until she knew her friend was safe.

“How much longer?” someone asked as Angie moved to close the door again.

Angie frowned. “I wish I knew. I’m not privy to much information, and as far as I know we’re still under siege so it’s all hands on deck and everyone else has to stay safe.” A few frustrated groans scattered throughout the small room. “I’m sorry,” Angie apologized. “The moment they give the all clear, you’ll be free to leave.” Brooke stepped further inside and Angie closed the door behind her again as she left.

Alyssa waved Brooke over to where she and Emma sat. She didn’t think Brooke knew anyone else in the room so it might be comforting for her to see a couple of familiar faces.

“Hey,” Alyssa said to her. “I’m glad you’re safe. Have you heard word about anyone else who’s arrived? They’re not telling us a thing.”

Brooke nodded. “So far, everyone has made it okay. There were only a few more teams behind me.”

“Who was left?”

“There was Kristin Scott and Fiona Lacey, Shelby Shields and Maggie Avery, and after that was just Dee Dee and Carrie on the last trip.”

“Shelby and Maggie aren’t here yet?”

Brooke shook her head. “They’re still flying.”

Alyssa buried her face in her hands as she let out a shaky breath. Emma’s arm circled around her, rubbing soothingly back and forth between her shoulder blades. “They’ll be okay,” she whispered.

There was a momentary pause, and then Brooke spoke up again. “What happened to you, Nolan?”

Emma chuckled, and Alyssa felt her tense next to her, probably from the pain in her ribs. She wished there was something she could do to take Emma’s pain away, but she settled for reaching out blindly for Emma’s hand and lacing their fingers together.

“I, uh, jumped out of a plane.”

Brooke snorted. “Care to elaborate?”

“It’s kind of a long story.”

“We’ve got time,” Brooke said, glancing around at the room that they were stuck in for the foreseeable future.

“That we do,” Emma sighed.

* * *

_ 18:45 _

Alyssa was tired and hungry and anxious; after her nap on Emma’s lap, she hadn’t slept anymore. There were some rations that had been passed around the bunker to keep people fed, but not nearly enough to satisfy anyone. She was trying not to drink too much water so she wouldn’t have to pee in the bucket in the corner. Not to mention she was probably starting to smell because she still hadn’t even so much as rinsed off after her flight; Alyssa had been so preoccupied worrying about Emma, and how could she have known that they would end up stuck in an air raid shelter for the better part of the day?

It had been almost fourteen hours since the raid began. Alyssa had heard stories of the horrors of the Nazi’s air raids, but being in the States and nowhere near the war front, she couldn’t even begin to imagine what it was like until now. She had heard about the Blitz, and though this was nowhere near as that nightmare that lasted for months, it was still stressful and terrifying.

The one solace that got Alyssa through the day was Emma.

Even when they didn’t speak, too tired or too anxious, Emma was right there next to her. She seemed to have a sixth sense for when Alyssa needed her support. It was as though the comforting arm around her back and the reassuring hand on her knee and the gentle kiss to her shoulder when no one was looking were instinctive, almost second nature.

Alyssa wasn’t sure what she would have done that day if not for Emma.

It was a relief to everyone in the room when the door creaked open for the second time and Colonel Glickman looked in on them.

“We just got the all clear,” he said. A murmur of reassurance spread through the room. “Thank you for your patience. Please get some air, get yourselves changed, and check in with your supervisors for further instruction.”

Emma and Alyssa shared a relieved look. “Should we take you back to the infirmary?” Alyssa suggested.

Emma let out a long, frustrated groan. “I don’t want to.”

“Just for a quick check up. We’ve been in pretty cramped quarters all day, I just want to make sure everything is still healing as it should be.” Emma pouted, still not wanting to go back, so Alyssa matched her with a pout of her own. “Please? For me?”

Emma was the first one to relent. “Fine,” she sighed.

Alyssa gave a soft smile and tucked some of Emma’s hair behind her ear. “We have to keep you healthy. I want you around for a long time, Nolan.”

Emma’s cheeks flushed, and before she had the chance to reply, Alyssa stood to her feet and began to help Emma up from her spot on the floor. Most of the room had already cleared out, except for a few injured folk who were moving a little slower. One of whom being Kevin, who still sat on the floor, staring into space.

As Alyssa helped Emma limp out of the room, they passed by where he sat. “Let’s go, Kevin. They probably have news.”

He shook his head in surprise and looked up at her as if broken out of a trance. “Yeah,” he sighed. “Yeah, you’re right.”

They left him behind as they made their way out of the bunker and started their slow trek back to the infirmary.

The first breath of fresh air was a relief because for a moment it was nice to be out of the musty bunker that was beginning to smell of piss and body odor after their hours in the room. But in her second breath, Alyssa smelled something distinct and vaguely familiar. Like a campfire, a smoky smell inhibited the air and she realized it was the distant residue of all the bombs and gunfire that had been set off in the vicinity throughout the day.

“Shit,” Emma muttered.

“Yeah,” Alyssa agreed.

It didn’t take long to make their way back to the infirmary. There were more full beds now than there had been when they had been there earlier. Badly injured soldiers and pilots with horrible burns and wounds were getting patched up. Alyssa frowned as she looked out at all of them. These were some of the luckier ones. She knew very well that there were a lot of people who probably didn’t make it back.

As her eyes scanned the room, her eyes found a familiar face on the same bed that Emma had used just this morning and she let out a relieved gasp. Shelby sat on the bed, and though at first glance she appeared physically fine, a nurse checked her vitals as she sobbed into her hands.

Something was wrong.

Alyssa kept her arm around Emma’s waist as they slowly began to walk over to her, but a voice from behind stopped them in their tracks.

“Shelbs?”

Shelby’s crying stopped in a choked gasp as she looked up and saw Kevin as he entered the infirmary. He ran up to her and kneeled next to her bed, grabbing her hands. Shelby looked like she saw a ghost.

“Kev?” she gasped.

“It’s me, baby,” he said tentatively. “It’s me.”

Slowly, Shelby began to shake her head. “No, no, is this— it can’t be— you’re—“

He hushed her and steadied her shoulders, rubbing her arms in comfort and reassurance. “It’s me, baby. I’m here. You’re okay.”

Her hands came up to grab his cheeks, delicately tracing the scars of his burns, but the moment she looked into his eyes, she let out another sob. “Oh, Kevin.” She kissed him and he wiped away the tears in her eyes before he wrapped his arms around her in an embrace.

Emma and Alyssa approached her bed slowly, giving the newly reunited couple some space for a moment. When Shelby finally opened her eyes and spotted Emma and Alyssa over his shoulder, she pulled away from him.

“Alyssa,” she said. “Nolan.”

Kevin stepped aside and made room for Alyssa to tackle Shelby in a tight hug. “We were so worried about you.”

“I’m okay,” she said. “Better than you look, Nolan, that’s for sure.” Something about this reunion still rubbed Alyssa the wrong way, but she couldn’t place her finger on it.

Emma gave Shelby a small smile. “Glad to see you’re safe,” she said. Her eyes scanned the room briefly before she looked back and asked the question that Alyssa hadn’t even thought of in the moment. “Where’s Avery?”

And with those two words, Shelby’s world seemed to crumble once again. Her shoulders slumped and she let out another sob. “Mag—“ she stuttered. “Maggie didn’t make it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let’s pour one out for Maggie
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and comment and sticking with me through this. Only two chapters left!


	7. Keep Me Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long day, everyone is in need of some air and a drink. They drink for Maggie, and all the other soldiers who lost their lives that day.

Tepid water cascaded down Emma’s skin as she stood alone in a shower stall, scrubbing off the events of the last few days. Alyssa had offered to help her get cleaned up, but Emma turned her down. She needed a moment to herself, to get her bearings.

They had cleaned her wounds as best as they could while she was asleep in the infirmary, but it had still been a while since she’d had a proper shower. It felt like there was dirt or blood caked into every inch of skin, even if that wasn’t true. She did her best to keep water from trickling into her cuts or loosening the bandages, but one bandage was already starting to fall off, and every time the water trickled into a deeper gash, it stung. Emma gritted her teeth and kept her head under the flow.

When Emma first turned on the water, it had been hot. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since she stepped inside, but all the hot water was gone and she was standing there, practically shivering as the lukewarm water slowly grew colder and colder with each passing moment.

Emma looked down at her chest to see the dark purple bruising scattered across her ribs in the shape of where the parachute straps had rested on her body. She rubbed her arms with soap; nothing was wrong with them, but her muscles were sore and aching. Emma held out her own hands in front of her. They were trembling.

She clenched her fists to still the movement and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

As Emma shifted her feet, the pain in her ankle was apparent once again. She had taken off the brace to take a shower, just so she could clean herself properly, but it was quite literally a pain to remember to not step on that foot. She braced herself with her arms on the sides of the stall to help hold herself up and take some weight off her ankle.

By now, the water had gone cold. Emma could see the goosebumps on her skin, but she stayed under the stream for a moment longer, basking in the numbing sensation of the icy downpour, before she turned off the water and reached through the curtain blindly for her towel.

Soft fabric suddenly appeared in her outstretched hand, accompanied by a voice saying, “Do you need some help?”

Emma snorted. “You trying to watch me shower, Greene?” She pulled the towel inside began to dry off her hair.

She wished she could see the blush on Alyssa’s cheeks as she sputtered and cleared her throat. “I— I was just coming to check on you. You’ve been in there for a while.”

Finally, she wrapped the towel around herself and opened the curtain. Alyssa had already gotten cleaned up. She wore a fresh cream blouse that buttoned up and a brown skirt. Her hair was no longer in a messy bun, but in loose, simple curls that fell down her shoulders, like her hair had just dried naturally like that. Her face was free of makeup and she looked tired, but so, so beautiful.

Emma cleared her throat. “Maybe just some help getting back to my bunk,” she said as she limped out of the shower.

Emma was wearing only a towel, but Alyssa made sure to keep her eyes firmly on Emma’s face as she approached. Alyssa went to put an arm around Emma’s waist, then hesitated. “Er, can I…?”

Emma nodded. “Yeah.” Alyssa’s arm found its place around her waist, helping to support her. Emma held her towel up and limped out of the bathroom toward the bunks, and Alyssa helped her sit down on her bed. Once Emma was settled, she turned around, giving her a bit of privacy to change.

As Emma quickly slipped on a bra and underwear she glanced around at the room, seeing it empty. “Where is everyone?”

“Um, a lot of people are going out to the pub tonight. Since our flight back was pushed to tomorrow, some people need to unwind tonight. Kaylee asked if we were coming but I said no.”

“Why?” Emma asked, wincing as she pulled the sleeves of one of Barry’s old shirts on over her arms and began to button it up.

“I just figured you’d want to rest,” Alyssa explained. “You’re still hurt.”

“Yeah, but I could use a drink too. Have they left yet?” Emma started to pull on some pants, first over her uninjured ankle easily. When she tried to put her sprained ankle into the pants, that was when she started to struggle.

“No, but Emma, I really think you should rest. You fell out of a plane a day ago.”

“And our friend died tonight. That’s worse than just falling out of a plane. I’m fine. Avery isn’t.”

“I just mean—“

“Alyssa, could you, uh, I mean… Could I get some help?” Emma sat on the bed wearing a shirt, but her pants only covered one of her legs as she struggled to get on the pair of trousers. It must have been a pitiful sight when Alyssa turned around, but she said nothing and swiftly knelt down on the floor next to her.

Alyssa’s hands were gentle as she pulled the waistband of the pants down Emma’s legs, just enough so she could help guide her foot inside. “Tell me if it hurts, okay?” Emma nodded.

Emma bit her lip as she pointed her toe to help ease her foot into the pant leg. Then, Alyssa helped Emma to her feet as she pulled them up the rest of the way. Emma held her breath and she felt herself getting a little lightheaded as Alyssa tucked the shirt under and fastened the pants over her waist. She watched Alyssa’s dark eyes, her brow furrowed in concentration, tongue barely poking out past her lips.

When Alyssa had finished, she ran her hands down Emma’s chest, smoothing out the fabric of the shirt. “There you go.”

“Thanks,” Emma squeaked. Her face suddenly felt very warm. “What were we talking about?”

Alyssa’s lips turned up into a small smirk. She glanced around the room to confirm it was empty, then placed a gentle kiss to Emma’s lips. Emma sighed into the kiss. The fact that Alyssa wanted to kiss her was something that Emma wasn’t sure she would ever grow used to. It was heaven.

“I was trying to tell you that we really shouldn’t go out tonight,” Alyssa sighed. She helped Emma to sit back down. “You should rest.”

“We’ve been cooped up all day because of that damn air raid,” Emma frowned. “Can’t we at least go out for a little bit? Have a drink for Maggie?”

Alyssa tensed for a moment, then sat down next to Emma. “Okay,” she finally sighed. “For Maggie.”

As Emma saw the tears that began to shine as they fell down Alyssa’s cheeks, she leaned forward and wiped them away. She wrapped an arm around Alyssa’s waist, holding her close, and kissed her on the temple. The moment Alyssa leaned into Emma’s embrace, she broke down crying. She cried and cried until she lost her breath and a small stain of teardrops had formed on the shoulder of Emma’s crisp white shirt. Emma’s heart broke, and she could do nothing but hold her.

A few tears fell from the corner of Emma’s eye, but she held strong.

After a few minutes, Alyssa’s sobs subsided. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and leaned back from where she clutched onto Emma like a lifeline. “Sorry,” she mumbled, glancing down at the ruined shoulder of Emma’s shirt.

“It’s okay. I’ll wear a coat. It’s cold out anyway.”

Alyssa breathed out a short laugh. Emma’s lips found her forehead and placed a kiss there, lingering until Alyssa seemed to calm down. She dipped her head down to meet her eyes, but she was drawn to Alyssa’s lips instead. She would never know enough of them.

She noticed Alyssa leaning in and made to meet her halfway, when the door to the women’s barracks flew open and Alyssa jumped away from her.

Kaylee walked in, looking somber, surprised to see Emma and Alyssa behaving so strangely as they sat on opposite ends of the bed and refused to look at each other. “Hey,” she muttered. “I forgot my wallet.” She walked up to a bed, ruffled through her bag, and pulled out a wallet. “We’re leaving in a few minutes if you change your mind.”

“We’ll be there,” Emma called out. Kaylee nodded and gave them a small smile “If that’s okay with you?” Emma added, waiting until Alyssa gave a nod of approval.

“I’ll make sure they wait for you.”

Once Kaylee left the room, Alyssa sniffled and began to stand up to gather her purse. “We should get going then, huh?

“Could you help me with one more thing?” Emma said softly.

“What is it?”

“I need to get the stupid brace back on my ankle.”

Alyssa gave her a soft smile and sat down on the bed with Emma again. She pulled Emma’s leg onto the bed and Emma handed her the brace. Alyssa rolled up the leg of her pants, delicately tightened the straps around her ankle and fastened the clasp to hold it in place. Then, she rolled Emma’s pants back down over the brace and placed a gentle kiss on her knee.

Then, she grabbed Emma’s socks and shoes from where they sat on the floor and carefully placed them onto her feet, lacing up each one. When she finished, she stood up and sifted through the pile of clothes Barry left for her and found a dark blue coat that she draped over Emma’s shoulders.

Alyssa grabbed Emma’s crutch, then helped her to her feet. “Let’s go get a drink.”

* * *

The pub they found themselves at had stone floors and wooden walls. The low ceiling, dim lighting, and crackling fire gave it a very quaint, homey feeling. There was a small stage in the corner and it looked like it was being set up for some live entertainment later on.

It was quiet, but Emma wasn’t sure if that was from the general nature of the establishment, or if it was because most of the patrons were soldiers who had come after a long day, most of whom had lost someone they knew in the raid.

There was a somber air as their small group crowded around a table. Shelby was the first to break the silence. Her eyes were red from crying, and her voice was weak when it came out. “So… who needs a shot?”

Kevin went to the bar to order a few shots of whiskey. When he returned a few minutes later he lined them up in front of everybody. One for Shelby, one for Kaylee, one for Alyssa, and one for Emma.

Shelby raised her glass. “Avery was the best partner I could have asked for. She saved my life. I— I still can’t believe she’s…” she trailed off and let out a sob.

Kaylee placed a hand on top of hers and held up her glass. “To Maggie,” she finished, and poured back her shot. Shelby silently followed suit.

“To Maggie,” Emma echoed.

The cheap whiskey burned the back of her throat, but it felt like what she needed right now. She glanced over to Alyssa who seemed to have spaced out, still holding her shot, eyes glazed over. Emma nudged her gently, and she blinked a few times.

“To Maggie,” Alyssa took her shot and cleared her throat.

They all ordered a fresh round of drinks for the evening. For a while, they were quiet, basking in the ambience of the pub, still processing the events of the day. Emma welcomed the warm hum her body began to feel as she sipped at her neat scotch. The ache in her body and the buzzing in her head slowly began to subside and finally her thoughts were clear for a moment. All she cared about was the warmth of Alyssa sitting next to her.

Eventually, they began to talk again. It started with sharing old stories and fond memories of Maggie from training. They found solace in reminiscing on the happier times, and while they wished their friend could be there, drinking with them, it was almost like her spirit still was.

At some point in the evening, a young woman took the stage and music drifted through the pub. It wasn’t fun or upbeat, but it wasn’t somber either. It was easy, nice. It seemed to calm Emma’s senses and put her even more at ease. She leaned into Alyssa’s side, and while she was careful to not kiss her or touch her too obviously, all she craved was Alyssa’s warmth, Alyssa’s light, Alyssa’s heart.

After a few songs, people began to trickle out onto the floor to dance, swaying with the soft beats of the music. While Emma was content for now with just being here with her friends, listening to the mellifluous voice of the singer that filled her ears, Shelby stood up to drag her husband out to dance.

“Are you sure, Shelb?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He hadn’t stood up yet, but Shelby held his hand, trying to pull him up. “You’re not tired?”

“Kev, I’ve missed you,” Shelby sighed. “I just want to dance for a bit.”

“I mean… you still want to dance with me?” Kevin’s voice was timid, as though he was scared to ask.

Shelby frowned. “What do you mean?”

He gestured to the dark, cracked burn scars on his face. “I’m not so handsome as when you first married me,” he said with a shrug.

Shelby looked him in the eyes for a moment, brought a hand up to his cheek, then leaned down and kissed him. “You’re still the most handsome man I’ve ever known. Dance with me.”

Kevin grinned, and finally relented. Shelby dragged him to his feet and out to dance where they began to sway to a fun beat.

Emma watched them dance with a smile on her face. “They look happy,” she mused. “At least, as happy as we can be right now.”

“They are happy,” Alyssa muttered. Under the table, she found Emma’s hand and threaded their fingers together, almost as if she was trying to silently convey,  _ I’m happy too. _

Kaylee watched them dance with a flicker of something in her eyes. Not quite jealousy, but more… longing. It had been a long time since her husband died, but it was surely a wound that wouldn’t heal so quickly. She sniffled.

“You okay, Kaylee?” Emma asked.

Kaylee nodded quickly. “I’m fine,” she said. “I’m okay.” She took a calming breath, but after a moment, she spoke up again. “I’m just going to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

Alyssa moved to try and follow her, but Emma grabbed her wrist to hold her back. “I don’t think she wants us to see her cry.”

“I don’t care, I just want to help her.”

“I know you don’t care, but she might,” Emma explained. “I saw her a few times over the last year, and she’s doing better, but it’s still hard for her. I don’t think she wants anyone to know just how hard it is sometimes.”

Alyssa nodded and settled back into her seat. After a moment, the song ended. Shelby and Kevin stayed on the dance floor, smiling at each other. Kevin whispered something in her ear and kissed her on the cheek.

Emma wanted so badly what they had. She didn’t want to hold Alyssa’s hand under the table and make sure no one was looking before she showed her any sort of affection. She wanted her. She wanted to dance and kiss her cheek and simply just be.

The song switched to something a little more slow, and the singer’s voice coated Emma’s ears like honey. Before she even knew what she was doing, she had stood from her seat, her crutch abandoned leaning against the table, and held out a hand to Alyssa.

“What are you doing?” Alyssa questioned.

“Dance with me,” Emma said.

Alyssa tucked a curl behind her ear, bashful. “Emma,” she sighed, “you should be resting. You’re still hurt.”

Emma glanced out at the couples on the dance floor. Kevin had drawn Shelby close, and her head rested on his shoulder as they swayed to the soft melody. “I won’t be jiving anytime soon, but I think I can manage this.”

Alyssa glanced nervously around at the patrons of the bar, still hesitant. Emma sensed her nerves, so she took her hand and rubbed her thumb soothingly across her knuckles.

“I just want to dance with you, Alyssa,” she breathed. “Please?”

In the end, that was all it took. Alyssa’s eyes were locked on Emma’s as Emma gently tugged her from her seat, across the floor, and pulled her close. Her ankle twinged in pain with each step she took, but Emma shoved the discomfort to the back of her mind, because all that mattered was Alyssa.

Once she reached a clear spot on the dance floor, Emma kept Alyssa’s hand in her own while her other arm circled around her waist, her hand settling at the small of her back. Alyssa let out a soft gasp as Emma tugged her closer, bringing them chest to chest. The nerves in Alyssa’s eyes were visible, darting around the room, but she met Emma’s for a split second and her anxiety seemed to suddenly calm. Her arm came up over Emma’s shoulder, and her hand grazed the back of her neck, running her fingers into the hair there.

Emma’s range of movement was rather limited due to her sprained ankle, but that wasn’t a problem. The soft melody of the song was slow enough that all they had to do was sway, holding each other close. As Emma was lost in Alyssa’s mesmerizing brown eyes, she realized that when love was strong enough to drown out the sorrows of life, enough to hold onto, enough to find happiness in despair, that’s when you know it’s something real.

In a moment of anxiety, Emma did a quick glance around the room. If anyone thought there was anything amiss about her and Alyssa dancing together, no one made it known. She met Shelby’s eyes across the dance floor, and her friend sent a small, pleased smile in her direction. The nerves subsided in Emma’s chest and she leaned the side of her head against Alyssa’s, pressing their cheeks together as they continued to sway, and closed her eyes.

She held Alyssa delicately, like a flower whose petals would crumble at too rough a touch. Alyssa’s loose curls tickled Emma’s nose, and when she inhaled she caught the fresh scent of her shampoo. The smooth skin of Alyssa’s cheek against hers, the way Alyssa’s fingers seemed to fit so perfectly between her own, Alyssa’s gentle breath in her ear, everything sent Emma’s heart aflutter and she wished they could stay like this forever.

This was something real and Emma never wanted to know anything else.

All too soon, the final notes of the song played out, and their dancing slowed until they were no longer swaying and just stood together on the dance floor. Other couples parted, but Emma didn’t want to move. She held Alyssa close for another instant, until the next song started. At that, she retracted her arms and took a step back.

Well, she tried to take a step back. Her head was so foggy with Alyssa that when she stepped back, she seemed to forget about her injured ankle and put just a little too much pressure on it. As pain shot through the joints, her leg buckled and she stumbled a little.

“Fuck.”

“Emma, come here.” Alyssa frowned. She wrapped an arm around Emma’s waist to support her, took her hand, and led her back to her seat. She sat down across from her and held her hand tightly over the table. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay,” Emma said with a shrug, but as she shrugged, her ribs ached and she hissed in pain again.

“I don’t believe you,” Alyssa muttered. “We should go.”

“But everyone is still here,” Emma pouted. “I don’t want to leave.” She finished her sentence as her last word turned into a stifled yawn.

“Darling, you need to rest.” The term of endearment took Emma by surprise. Her mouth fell open in a soft gasp, and her cheeks flushed. She searched for words, but none came to her, breathless from the look of love that filled Alyssa’s eyes. Alyssa took the opportunity to continue. “They have some rooms upstairs here,” she explained. “I don’t know when everybody’s planning on leaving, but... wait here. I’ll get you a room so you don’t have to make the trip back to base.”

As Alyssa stood to make her way through the crowd to the front desk, Emma caught her hand and tugged her back to her side. “Just me?” she asked, her voice a whisper.

Alyssa’s fingers found Emma’s hair and combed through it, easing out the knots, gently scratching her scalp. Emma closed her eyes and sighed into the touch. “I can stay with you,” Alyssa whispered. “But only if you want me to.”

Emma nodded quickly. “I want you to.”

* * *

Emma grew nervous as Alyssa helped her up the stairs to the rooms above the pub. There were a few others making use of the opportunity to stay here for a little privacy, away from the prying eyes of their coworkers. She wouldn’t be surprised if Kevin and Shelby ended up getting a room for the night. After all, it had been so long since the pair had seen each other.

She watched as Alyssa unlocked the door to their room and pushed it open. When Alyssa moved to help her inside, Emma shook her head. “I’ve got it.” She leaned on her crutch and slowly made her way inside to sit down on the bed. Alyssa closed the door behind them.

Emma looked around at the room and its warm colors, carpeted floors, wood paneled walls. There was something comfortable about it. Out the window it was dark, but Emma imagined the only view it offered was of the building next door. She didn’t get much of a chance to ponder that question until Alyssa drew the curtains shut, cutting them off from the world outside.

And for the first time, pretty much ever, they were truly alone.

Alyssa sat down next to Emma on the bed, giving a few feet of buffer space between them. Emma couldn’t help the way she longingly reached out for Alyssa’s hand, not content until the warmth was beneath her fingers once again.

“How are you feeling?” Alyssa asked.

Emma shrugged. “Sore, I guess. Tired.”

Alyssa hesitated. “Do you want to sleep?”

Slowly, Emma shook her head. “No.” Emma swallowed and held her breath. She watched as Alyssa’s eyes followed the movement at the column of her neck. The weighted moment seemed to drag on as Alyssa took a deep breath before she spoke.

“I know we never really got a chance to talk,” Alyssa said, averting her gaze to her lap, where she pulled her hands back and began to nervously fidget.

“Yeah,” Emma breathed. “We were a little preoccupied.” Alyssa nodded. “But I liked it.”

After a moment, Alyssa looked into her eyes once again, with a new determination lighting a fire behind them. “Emma Nolan,” she said. “I’m in love with you.”

Emma felt the breath knocked out of her lungs.

“I think I have been for a while,” she continued. When Emma found herself still at a loss for words, Alyssa nervously rambled on. “I know it’s not… conventional. It’s hard, and people will judge us for this, but Emma, the way I feel about you is the most real thing I’ve ever felt.”

When Alyssa had said her piece, it still took some time for Emma to sort through the jumbled thoughts in her brain to form a coherent response. “You know I love you,” Emma sighed eventually. “I— I don’t think I was ever going to tell you. And then, well, I thought I was going to die and I didn’t even think about it. It just came out. I couldn’t die without telling you, just once.”

“But you’re not dead now.”

Emma chuckled. “I’m not. And I have you to at least partly thank for that.”

Alyssa smiled, but soon she grew nervous again, afraid to ask the question that was at the tip of her tongue. Emma opened her arms in encouragement, and pulled Alyssa closer to her on the bed, holding her forearms.

“Have you ever done this before?” The timid curiosity of Alyssa’s voice told Emma exactly what she was asking, even if she didn’t explicitly say it.

“Once,” Emma answered. “A long time ago. My, uh, parents found out and it didn’t end well.”

Alyssa’s eyes sparked with realization, remembering their graduation when Emma had offhandedly mentioned her relationship with her parents. It felt like eons ago now. “Right,” she muttered.

“After that I just accepted that I would probably die a lonely old spinster,” Emma joked to lighten the mood. Alyssa chuckled. “And then I found you and I thought, having you as my best friend was better than nothing at all.”

Emma didn’t want to pry with her own questions, but it appeared Alyssa wanted to answer for herself.. “I’ve never...” she started. “Not with anyone. No matter how much my mother wanted to pawn me off to the first man who would marry me, I— I don’t know. I just never saw that sort of life making me happy. I didn’t know what could make me happy until I met you.”

Emma pulled her even closer and rested their foreheads together. Alyssa let out a wistful sigh. Happiness was something that Alyssa deserved and she needed to know that, even if it took her this long to find it. If Emma had to spend every day for the rest of her life making Alyssa happy, she would do it in a heartbeat.

Alyssa’s eyes squeezed shut and she nervously chewed on her lip. “I’m scared,” she finally admitted; her voice shook and it came out as a breathless whisper.

“Me too,” Emma confessed.

Alyssa’s eyes flickered open at this. “Funny, I thought you weren’t scared of anything, Nolan.”

“I’m scared of everything, I just hide it well,” Emma laughed. “But when I’m with you I feel like that fear doesn’t matter anymore. We can do anything we want.”

Alyssa’s shining brown eyes held her gaze for another moment before they flitted down to her lips, then back up. “I… I want to kiss you.”

Emma’s lip twitched up in a smile, both in awe and disbelief that Alyssa said those words to her. “I want to kiss you too.”

They moved simultaneously, hesitantly. They had kissed before but this time seemed different, somehow. There was no grief or desperation behind it as they inched forward, lips brushing together ever so lightly, before Emma pressed her head forward, closing that last bit of distance, fitting her mouth onto Alyssa’s.

Their kisses were gentle and inquisitive as Emma familiarized herself with the feel of Alyssa’s lips. She didn’t rush, relishing in the blissfully sweet feeling of the way their lips moved together oh so slowly.

It was Alyssa who pressed with her tongue first, tentatively licking at Emma’s lips until her mouth fell open and she delved inside. Emma let out a satisfied gasp at the unexpected but welcome intrusion. Her hands fisted into Alyssa’s shirt, tugging her closer so their bodies were almost flush together.

Slowly, as they became more and more familiar with each other, their kiss turned into something more that lit a fire under Emma’s skin. She sucked Alyssa’s bottom lip into her mouth and nibbled on it, cherishing every delicious sigh and whimper she elicited. Her hands moved down Alyssa’s body from her shirt to grab her hips. Alyssa’s fingers were in Emma’s hair, tugging her closer, though Emma wasn’t sure it was possible for them to be any closer than they already were.

That is, until Alyssa’s enthusiasm caused them to topple backwards onto the mattress. Alyssa landed on top of her, and one sweet moment, their bodies pressed together like this was the most amazing sensation Emma had ever felt.

And then the pain settled in.

_ “Fuck!” _ she cursed, breaking away from the kiss and hands moving from Alyssa’s waist to clutch her own chest.

“Shit.” Alyssa scrambled off of her. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me, I—”

“No, no, you’re okay,” Emma said through gritted teeth, wanting to reassure Alyssa. “That was… incredible. Just fucking hurts.” She took a few short, shallow breaths as she sat upright again, trying to steel herself to the pain. Damn bruised ribs.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Alyssa said softly.

“It’s okay,” Emma said, reaching out for her hand. “I promise. But, uh, we probably shouldn’t— I mean— not while I’m—”

“Yeah,” Alyssa breathed, blushing red. “Of course. You— you should rest.”

Emma gave her a small smile. “You should too.”

Alyssa was about to protest, but her words were interrupted by a yawn. “Okay, I see your point. Come here.”

Alyssa kissed her again, soft and slow. Emma’s eyes fluttered closed at the already wonderfully familiar feeling, and her hand instinctively came up to cup her cheek. But as soon as it began, Alyssa’s lips were gone again. Emma whined in disappointment, but when she opened her eyes, she saw climbing off the bed. “What are you doing?”

Alyssa kneeled on the ground next to her and began to unlace one of her shoes. “Getting you ready for bed.” Once she had pulled off Emma’s first shoe and her sock, she moved to the other one, easing it off ever so carefully over her brace.

She got up from the floor and her hands moved to Emma’s shoulders. She pushed the coat off, helping her out of it, and tossed it onto the armchair in the corner. Her fingers moved to the buttons of her shirt, undoing them one by one until the front of her shirt was fully open. She wore a plain white shirt underneath, which Alyssa left alone as she helped her out of the button up.

Alyssa found the button of Emma’s pants and unclasped those. Emma laid back as Alyssa pulled them carefully down her legs. She folded up both articles of clothing and placed them on the armchair as well. Next, Alyssa took a pillow fluffed it up, and placed it at the foot of the bed. She gently lifted Emma’s leg to prop up her ankle on the pillow.

Emma watched her work with disbelief in her eyes. No one had ever put so much thought or care or effort into looking after her before, and it brought tears to her eyes.

Finally, Alyssa shimmied out of her own skirt and top, leaving her in just her undergarments. She flicked off the lights, then climbed into bed next to Emma. It took a moment for Emma’s eyes to adjust to the darkness, but then Alyssa’s face was inches from hers as she snuggled into Emma’s side. She draped her arm ever so gently over Emma to not disturb any of her injuries. “Is this okay?” she whispered.

Emma nodded. “More than okay.”

She kissed Alyssa again, just because she wanted to, just because she could, then laid her head back and closed her eyes.

“Emma?” Alyssa’s voice piped up after a few minutes.

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

Emma turned her head on the pillow to look at Alyssa. Her eyes were closed and her breath was starting to even out. She was almost asleep so Emma just smiled into her hair, kissing the top of her head. “I love you so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song they dance to is called Cherry Blossom by ALA.NI (it’s also pretty much the whole reason this fic exists, but more on that later) and I would highly recommend listening to it.
> 
> There is only one more chapter and I’m going to be so sad to see this come to an end but it’s been so amazing to write. Thank you so much to everybody who has left a comment thus far and please keep doing so! It’s your words that fuel me. Until next time ✌️


	8. Maybe One Day We’ll Make It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Wish had known when it would be my last time flying,” Emma muttered. “I would have… I dunno… appreciated it a little more.”
> 
> Alyssa could only manage a small nod. “Me too,” she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. Thank you for sticking with me through it all.
> 
> Please note the rating change and read at your own discretion.

**November 1944**

It was a cold and rainy morning in Hartford, a fitting atmosphere for a funeral. A bus took Alyssa and all the other WASPs who knew Maggie from Fort Drum to Saint Augustine Catholic Church in Connecticut. There were even women in attendance that Alyssa hadn’t seen since training in Sweetwater.

The cold wind whipped at her hair, nipped at her nose, and dried the tears as they fell. Alyssa and her WASP compatriots all wore their dress uniforms to pay their respects for their friend.

She stood, huddled under an umbrella with Emma, and they watched as their friend, Margaret Avery, was lowered into the ground at the cemetery. An American flag was draped over the dark wood casket. Technically, she wasn’t allowed to have the flag on display, but Major Oliver had insisted and placed it there himself.

“I still can’t believe Trent had to advocate for the flag,” Alyssa muttered with a frown.

“You know, the government wouldn’t even return her body to her family,” Emma said. “Dee Dee Allen ended up paying for the transport, and the funeral expenses.”

Alyssa sighed. “I hate how they treat us like civvies.”

“Technically we are civilians.”

“We risk our lives every day and this is the thanks we get?” Alyssa scoffed. “Maggie deserves better.  _ We  _ deserve better.”

“Hey,” Emma muttered. Her hand found Alyssa’s between them and laced their fingers together. “I know. We damn well deserve better, but I don’t know if things will ever change. We have to just… do what we can to remember her.”

Alyssa saw an older couple across from them, absolutely distraught. Maggie’s parents. She glanced to her side where Shelby stood, crying into her husband’s shoulder. On Shelby’s other side stood Kaylee, holding her hand tight.

Alyssa leaned into Emma’s side and rested her chin on her shoulder. “I wish there was more we could do,” she said.

Emma kissed her on the temple. “Me too.”

Once the casket was lowered into the ground, out of sight, Emma tugged on Alyssa’s hand, pulling her away from the crowd. Alyssa followed her, trying to keep up so they would both stay dry under the umbrella.

She glanced down at Emma’s feet and noticed that she wasn’t even walking with a slight limp.

“How’s your foot?” Alyssa asked.

“I’m fine,” Emma said. “I haven’t had to use the crutch in a week. I’m doing better.”

“And your ribs?”

Emma stopped in her tracks and turned to face Alyssa, holding her by the elbows. She inhaled deeply for show, then exhaled. “No pain. I’m good, I promise.”

“Okay,” Alyssa muttered.

Emma placed a quick kiss on her forehead, then continued on. It wasn’t long before they had disappeared behind a few trees, separated from the rest of the funeral crowd.

“Why are we here?” Alyssa asked when Emma stopped.

Emma didn’t say anything. Instead, she turned to Alyssa, wrapped her arms tightly around her, and buried her face in her hair. Her shoulders trembled, and Alyssa realized she was crying. Alyssa frowned and wrapped her up in a gentle embrace, holding her close, kissing the tears from her cheeks.

It wasn’t often that Emma cried. She didn’t like people seeing her weak or emotional. Alyssa didn’t think she was weak for showing her emotions. In fact, Emma was the strongest person she knew. But sometimes when the pain became too much, you just needed to cry and have someone tell you everything would be okay. Emma had done that for Alyssa, and it was Alyssa’s turn to be there for Emma.

“It’s okay, love,” Alyssa whispered. She threaded her fingers into Emma’s hair, hoping to calm her. “You’re all right.”

Alyssa held firmly onto Emma as she cried. Even after Emma’s grip went slack and her sobs subsided and all she could do was lean weakly against her shoulder, Alyssa held onto her tight and never wanted to let go.

* * *

The day after the funeral, Alyssa woke in the morning, business as usual. Emma was still asleep, so she gently nudged her awake. While Emma had gotten into the habit of waking up earlier, the funeral had been draining and the moment they got back to base that evening, she had knocked out like a light. Alyssa figured she could use the rest, and wasn’t surprised when a gentle nudge did nothing to stir her.

Looking over her shoulder quickly to see if anyone was paying attention to her, she found that everyone else was preoccupied with getting ready. Alyssa sat down at the edge of Emma’s bed and placed a quick kiss upon her cheek. She brushed the messy hair out of her face, leaving her fingertips lingering on the smooth, pale skin.

“Emma,” she whispered. “Wake up.”

Emma grumbled unintelligibly.

Alyssa laughed softly, and as she was about to tickle her, there was a knock on the door of the barracks. The quiet morning chatter in the room hushed and the movement stilled. Emma even rubbed her eyes and sat upright in bed, curious as to who was coming in at this hour.

The man who entered, Alyssa recognized as a soldier named Marcus. He looked around a little nervously and a few of the nearby women giggled. Alyssa rolled her eyes.

Marcus cleared his throat and his loud voice boomed across the room in the early hours of the morning. “Morning duties are temporarily on hold until further notice. All WASPs are instructed to report to the auditorium at oh eight hundred hours.”

A wave of confused chatter passed over the room. Alyssa looked to Emma, who just shrugged.

“Says who?” Shelby scoffed.

“Orders came from Miss Allen herself, ma’am,” Marcus answered. “That’s all the information I was given.” He saluted and backed out of the room.

“What do you think that’s about?” Emma asked through a yawn. She stretched out and started to climb out of bed.

Alyssa only stared blankly ahead where the man had disappeared. “I have no idea,” she muttered, shaking her head. Whatever it was, she didn’t have a good feeling about it.

It was a few minutes before eight that Alyssa headed over to the auditorium along with her friends. Emma was close by her side and their hands hung between them. Alyssa longed to reach out and grasp Emma’s hand in her own, knowing that the simplest of touches from Emma was enough to ease her nerves, but neither made any move to do so.

Kaylee and Shelby were uncharacteristically quiet as they walked across the base. The men watched them as groups of women passed by, and Alyssa hoped to overhear any sort of comment that could give her an idea to what was happening, but it seemed that no one had any clue what to expect.

It was a small auditorium and Alyssa made sure they got seats in the back corner. Once they were seated, she immediately reached out for Emma’s hand, lacing their fingers together. Her heart suddenly felt at ease as Emma rubbed her thumb against her knuckles.

Shelby nudged Alyssa’s shoulder, startling her. She met her eyes and then saw Shelby glance down at Alyssa’s hand joined with Emma’s. There was a split second of panic that made Alyssa tense, until she saw the soft smile on Shelby’s lips and the genuine joy in her eyes. It was as if she was trying to communicate,  _ I know, and I’m happy for you. _ Alyssa sighed in relief.

Now that she thought about it, she suspected Shelby might have always known what was going on between her and Emma, maybe even before Alyssa knew herself.

The moment Dee Dee Allen walked into the auditorium, the room became dead silent. Everyone was curious as to what she had to say. Normally, Dee Dee had an excellent poker face, but today she was upset and she was not trying to hide it.

She cleared her throat and as she looked out at all the women in front of her, her heart seemed to break just a little. “I wish we were meeting under better circumstances,” she said, confirming Alyssa’s suspicions that this was not good news. “I know you all probably have a lot of questions, and I want to answer them all.”

There was a nervous murmur throughout the crowd. Emma clutched Alyssa’s hand a little bit tighter.

“I guess I’ll start with the good news.” Dee Dee took a deep breath before continuing. “The tides of the war are turning and things are continuing to move in our favor. If things continue as they are, we expect the war to be over within a year. Now, I have pushed for WASP military status for months so that some of you could still have jobs after the war, but I have not been as successful as I had hoped and, I’m not sure if rumors have traveled, but the House Committee on Civil Service has deemed the WASP program unnecessary. Unfortunately, we are being shut down, ladies.”

At her last sentence, the crowd was in uproar.

“What?!”

“That’s not fair!”

“We work just as hard as the men!”

“We deserve to be here!”

“How could they do that?”

“This is bullshit!”

That last one was from Shelby, heard loud and clear.

Alyssa was speechless. Even if she knew what to think, she wouldn’t be able to hear herself over the ruckus of the angry women around her.

It took a few minutes for Dee Dee to gain control of the group again and eventually their frustrated shouts had simmered down to an angry grumbling. She was able to continue now that her voice could be heard over the crowd once again. “Like I said, I wish I had better news. I wish there was more that I could do, but I have done everything in my power to stop this from happening. The men in the world just aren’t ready for us.”

“How long until we lose our jobs?” A voice from the crowd called out above all the others and Dee Dee frowned.

“I was getting there… The program officially ends mid December, but they are only keeping a small handful of personnel on board to continue to run things. For the most part, they will be gradually closing down WASP branches until then. There are a handful that have already been shut down and women sent home.” Dee Dee hesitated, and Alyssa dreaded the next words she would say. “I’m afraid today is your last day.”

If Alyssa thought the previous outburst was loud and out of control, this turned the auditorium to absolute chaos. Women were out of their seats, shouting, cursing, crying. Dee Dee looked helpless in front of them.

“Fuck that!”

“They can’t just fire us!”

“How am I supposed to get back home?”

“What are we gonna do?”

A sharp whistle sounded from the front corner of the room, piercing their ears, heard above the cacophony of voices. The room settled and when Alyssa glanced up, she saw Angie standing from her seat, glaring at everybody. Once people had calmed down again, she nodded to Dee Dee to continue.

“Now, I can provide a schedule of upcoming transports for the next few days and if you are headed back to an area in the vicinity of any of these flights and there is room on board, then you are more than welcome to passage. Otherwise, I’m afraid you will have to find your own transportation. And one last thing… they expect you all to be packed and out of here by the end of the day.”

The news was just getting worse and worse, though the group seemed to have moved on from anger to defeat and acceptance. There was a frustrated groan in the crowd, but chaos did not rise again.

“We can help with finding accommodations for the night or for the next few days if need be. There are a small number of hotels in the area. Your duties for the rest of the day have been cleared so you can all focus on packing and organizing transport. Are there any questions?”

As women shouted out questions they had on their minds, Alyssa seemed to retreat into her own mind, completely unaware of her surroundings. She leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath in as the weight of Dee Dee’s statement sunk in.

She would have to go back to her mother, because her mother’s house was the only home she ever had.

Alyssa wasn’t sure why the thought had never crossed her mind before. Maybe she held onto the slight hope that she would always be doing this, or perhaps she was just unconsciously avoiding thinking about the future, but now the thought was inevitable, pressing at the front of her mind. The thought left a heavy weight on her chest that made her feel like she couldn’t breathe.

Alyssa wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to breathe again if she had to leave Emma.

* * *

The barracks were relatively quiet as women packed up their belongings. There was some quiet chatter between friends, but the usual heightened energy of their quarters was muted. Alyssa didn’t say much as she folded her clothes and put them away in her suitcase. She looked around the room at the women she worked with. Even if most of these women she had only met a few short weeks ago, she felt a special connection to every single one of them.

She glanced across the aisle to see Kaylee sitting on her bed, crying. Shelby sat next to her with an arm around her.

“This was all I had, Shelb,” Kaylee said quietly. Alyssa could barely pick up her words from this distance.

“You’ve got me,” Shelby said. “Jersey ain’t too far from New York. Kev won’t mind if you come visit every day.”

Kaylee laughed and leaned into her embrace.

Alyssa turned around to grab another shirt from her dresser only to find Emma sitting on her bed, bag already packed and ready to go. She had a sad frown on her lips and when she looked up at Alyssa, her eyes glistened with tears.

Alyssa wished she knew what to do.

“Wish I had known when it would be my last time flying,” Emma muttered. “I would have… I dunno… appreciated it a little more.”

Alyssa could only manage a small nod. “Me too,” she whispered.

Emma stood to her feet and took a few steps closer until they were inches apart. Alyssa itched to grab Emma’s hands, kiss her, hold her close. Emma looked at Alyssa with a sad smile on her lips and a world of longing behind her eyes. “I— I don’t know how long you’re planning on staying in the area but I’ll probably be here for a couple days at least,” she said, her voice a hushed whisper. “We could share a room tonight if you want, save a little money.” Emma shrugged as she tacked on the last bit as a suggestion.

Alyssa’s lips twitched up in a small smile at Emma’s endearing awkwardness. She nodded. “I’d like that.”

“Okay,” Emma nodded. “Um, I’m all packed so I think I’m going to head out, but I’ll be at the Rose Peak Inn a few miles down the road. I’ll have them leave a key for you at the front desk.”

Alyssa wanted to speak but her voice seemed to be caught in her throat. There was so much she wanted to say, and she could sense all the thoughts swirling through Emma’s brain too. Instead, she just nodded. Emma hesitated, and Alyssa longed to reach out and hold her close, but before she could, Emma turned around to grab her suitcase and walked outside.

Watching her leave, Alyssa tried not to think about how much longer it might be until she had to say goodbye. Instead, she turned back to her dresser, grabbed another shirt, and concentrated it on folding it and stacking it neatly into her suitcase. Rinse and repeat.

It wasn’t long before Alyssa’s suitcase was fully packed. Most of the women had already left, having trickled out of there for the last half hour or so. The beds were made, trunks were empty, and shelves were bare. It felt just like the morning after graduation when everyone was leaving Sweetwater, but this time there was no bright future ahead of them. It was back to their old lives as if nothing happened over the last two years.

Kaylee and Shelby also lingered in the barracks before leaving. Alyssa picked up her suitcase and walked across the aisle to them. They were sitting again, on separate beds this time. Their bags sat at their feet as they looked at each other, neither one wanting to move.

Alyssa cleared her throat. “When are you leaving?”

Kaylee checked her watch. “Ten minutes.”

“We’re taking a bus to New York City,” Shelby explained.

“I’ll head back home from there.”

“You’re more than welcome to stay with us as long as you need, Kaylee.”

Kaylee smiled at her. “I know.”

Shelby sighed. “What about you, Greene?”

“I— I don’t know,” she confessed. “I’ve been too stunned to even look into flights back to Indiana. I’m staying with Emma tonight and I guess I’ll… figure it out tomorrow.”

Shelby frowned. “Are you and Emma—“

“I don’t know, Shelb.” Alyssa closed her eyes. “I don’t know.”

Alyssa took a deep breath, willing herself not to freak out. Eyes still closed, she heard the creak of the bed and a moment later, arms were around her in a tight hug. “I’m gonna miss you,” Shelby muttered. “Don’t be a stranger.”

When Shelby stepped back, Alyssa opened her eyes and smiled. She saw Kaylee standing behind her, tears in her eyes. Alyssa brushed past Shelby to wrap her in a hug as well. “You’ll be okay,” Alyssa whispered. “You’re strong.”

“I love you,” Kaylee cried. She turned to Shelby and added, “Both of you. Seriously.”

“Me too,” Shelby said.

“Me three,” Alyssa agreed.

They walked out of there together, and Alyssa bid her friends one last goodbye before they got onto the bus.

* * *

Climbing up the stairs, Alyssa cursed the number of books she owned that weighed down her suitcase, making the trek rather difficult. Once she reached the third floor, she walked down the hall, scanning the room numbers, until she found the door she was looking for.

Alyssa set down her bag to stick the key in the lock and open the door, then dragged it inside, closing the door behind her. She turned to the room and saw Emma sitting on the bed, bare feet dangling over the side. She held a piece of paper in her lap and her head was turned down, reading it. When the door fell shut behind Alyssa, Emma startled, suddenly noticing her presence in the room.

When Emma looked up, there were tears in her eyes.

Emma quickly brought a hand up to her face, pushing her glasses out of the way to wipe her eyes. She took a shaky breath.

“Emma?” Alyssa dropped her bag again and tentatively stepped forward. “What’s wrong?”

Emma let out a breathy laugh and reached to her side. She picked up a stack of envelopes that were bundled up in a small pile and showed them to her. “They finally forwarded my mail from Pearl Harbor,” she muttered, dropping the papers at her side. “I picked it up before I left.”

“Oh?” Alyssa asked. “Lots of missed updates from your grandmother?”

Emma chuckled, but still looked at Alyssa with wide eyes. “I, uh— I read your letter.”

_ “Oh,”  _ she gasped.

There was a moment where Emma sat still and quiet, and Alyssa wasn’t sure what she was thinking. Emma’s eyes were cast down at the letter in her lap once again, her fingers delicately tracing the words on the page. Her eyes darted up again and the way Emma looked at her with desire in her eyes made Alyssa’s heart stop.

The next moment, Emma was on her feet, stepping across the room, pulling Alyssa into a hard kiss. Emma’s hands were on her cheeks, her grip gentle but firm. Emma’s body was pressed against her, pushing her until her back was against the door. Emma’s lips kissed her with a delicious desperation that took the breath from her lungs.

It was only after a brief moment of surprise that Alyssa kissed her back. She wrapped her arms around Emma’s waist, tugging her closer. As Emma’s tongue tentatively dipped out, Alyssa’s lips parted. She moaned at the sensation and her hands gripped at the fabric of Emma’s shirt.

After trading a few desperate kisses, Emma’s movements began to slow. Her hands trailed down from Alyssa’s cheeks, tickling her jaw, until they smoothed at the fabric of her dress and wrapped around her waist. As Emma’s head leaned back, Alyssa chased her lips. Emma chuckled and gave her one last tender kiss before resting her forehead against Alyssa’s.

Alyssa whined at the loss of contact. Her arms snaked around Emma’s neck, pulling their bodies flush together as she struggled to catch her breath. Eventually, her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at Emma through her eyelashes. Emma’s pupils were dark and her cheeks were flushed. She could still feel Emma’s breath against her lips, and that only made her want to bring her in for another kiss.

Alyssa licked her lips and opened her mouth to speak, but it took a moment for the words to come to her; a blissful haze had fogged up her brain. “What was that for?”

Emma bit her lip and her eyes studied every inch of Alyssa’s face. Her right hand came up to tuck a curl behind Alyssa’s ear, and her thumb brushed against her cheek. “I just—“ Emma stuttered. “I love you.”

Alyssa felt tears spring to her eyes. “I love you too,” she whispered. “So much.”

Emma let out a breathless laugh. They stayed like that for a moment, just looking at each other, holding each other close. For a moment, it was perfect. And then, it wasn’t enough.

“Can, um…” Alyssa muttered, a little embarrassed, “could you do that again?”

Emma brushed her nose against Alyssa’s. “If I kiss you like that again, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop.”

Alyssa swallowed. She felt a dull heat deep inside her and all she knew was that she needed more of Emma. She needed every part of her. “Then don’t stop.”

Emma blinked, clearly surprised. Alyssa edged forward, brushing her lips lightly against Emma’s, teasing her, begging her to close the distance the rest of the way, and Emma happily obliged.

This kiss was different. It felt a bit more slow and sensual than the hard desperation they felt a moment ago, but it was everything Alyssa wanted. Her hands trailed up, digging into Emma’s hair, wrapping her fingers in blonde locks. She lightly scratched at Emma’s scalp and Emma gasped into her mouth.

Alyssa wasn’t sure what came over her, but her she pulled her mouth from Emma’s and kissed a path down her cheek until she reached Emma’s jawline. She hesitated briefly. A shiver ran down Emma’s spine as she exhaled against the skin there, and Alyssa took that as all the sign she needed to continue. She gently tugged on Emma’s hair to tilt her head back ever so slightly, placed her lips just under her jawline, and kissed her there.

A breathy gasp left Emma’s lips and she clutched tightly at Alyssa’s waist. “Was that okay?” Alyssa breathed. Emma nodded vigorously, so Alyssa returned her lips to the skin there. She left gentle kisses on Emma’s skin, occasionally dipping out her tongue, swirling it on her pulse, tasting the sweat there. She moved lower until Alyssa gently bit down on the skin at the base of Emma’s neck.

As Emma’s hips jerked forward, one of her legs slotted between Alyssa’s pressing against her. A soft moan escaped from the back of Alyssa’s throat. Her cheeks flushed, embarrassed, but Emma looked at her like it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. After a subtle nod of Alyssa’s head, Emma pressed her thigh more firmly between Alyssa’s legs, and another soft moan spilled out as she thrust her hips forward, seeking out more of that pressure.

Alyssa clutched desperately at Emma’s shirt, and suddenly she wanted to know what all of Emma’s skin felt like against her own. Her hands went to the top button of Emma’s shirt and toyed with it for a moment. “Can I?” she asked.

“Yes,” Emma choked out. “Yes.”

Alyssa fumbled for a moment with the first button, her hands almost shaking she was so nervous. Once it popped open and revealed a few new inches of skin, she moved to the next one, unfastening it with a bit more ease. Alyssa admired every new inch of skin that was revealed to her like a work of art in a gallery. She let her fingers gently brush against the skin of Emma’s belly as she worked the last few buttons.

Once Emma’s shirt was untucked and fully unbuttoned, Alyssa brought her hands up to gently push the fabric off her shoulders. Emma helped her movement, slowly slipping her arms out, and the shirt fell to the floor with a soft thud.

The room was quiet, save for their labored breathing, as Alyssa couldn’t tear her eyes away from the newly exposed expanse of skin before her. It was nothing she hadn’t seen before, but in this context it was brand new. She reached out a tentative hand, then stopped inches from skin, pulling it back to her side.

As if she could sense her nerves, Emma smiled reassuringly at Alyssa, then leaned forward and captured her lips in another kiss. Alyssa immediately relaxed, and her hands instinctively went to Emma’s back to pull her closer. She sighed against Emma’s lips when she felt hot skin under her fingertips instead of cool fabric. She pressed her palms flat against the skin of Emma’s back, thumbs rubbing gentle circles.

When Emma’s tongue lapped into her mouth again, she curled her fingers, lightly scraping her nails against Emma’s shoulders. “Mmm,” Alyssa muttered against her lips. “You’re so soft.”

Emma slowed her kisses, breaking away once again with a soft peck to Alyssa’s lips. She took a step back and ran her hands from Alyssa’s shoulders, down the length of her arms, until she held Alyssa’s hands. She took another step backwards and gently tugged Alyssa along with her, towards the bed.

Emma stopped at the foot of the bed, standing there, still holding onto Alyssa’s hands and looking at her with a soft adoration. Her hands moved up to the collar of Alyssa’s dress and pulled her in for another kiss. Emma smoothed down the fabric under her hands and went to the top button of Alyssa’s dress.

“Is this okay?” Emma whispered.

Alyssa nodded. “Please.”

Emma slowly undid the buttons at the top of her dress, exposing her cleavage, and Alyssa was surprised when Emma’s lips left her own and suddenly reappeared on her chest, kissing the newly exposed skin. Alyssa’s hand weaved its way into Emma’s hair again. She gasped as Emma licked and sucked at her sensitive skin.

When Emma’s lips trailed further down, right between her breasts, Alyssa shuddered under her touch. Quickly, Alyssa pulled Emma’s head back.

Concern filled Emma’s eyes, until she saw Alyssa pull at the string of the tie that held her dress up at the waist so it fell loose. Then, she grabbed Emma’s hands and brought them to the bottom hem of her dress.

“Are you sure?” Emma asked her, because Emma was always a gentleman. That was one of the many things Alyssa loved about her.

Alyssa quickly nodded and kissed her languidly. “Take off my dress, Emma.”

Emma’s eyes were wide as she nodded. She gripped the fabric a little tighter, slowly pulled it over Alyssa’s head and tossed it aside. Emma looked at her with a breathless wonder and Alyssa had never felt more beautiful.

“Come here,” Emma breathed. She took Alyssa’s hands and stepped around her, switching their places, then gently pushed Alyssa down so she sat on the bed. Emma’s hands found a place on Alyssa’s thighs, smoothing over the expanse of skin there for a moment, until her touch glided down one leg until she reached her foot. Emma pulled off Alyssa’s shoe and dropped her leg down to the floor. She did the same with her other leg so Alyssa’s feet were bare.

Emma took off her glasses, setting them on the bedside table, then leaned over Alyssa, placing her hands on the mattress behind her, and kissed her. Alyssa felt lightheaded with Emma kissing her like that and Emma’s warm skin against her own. As Emma pressed forward, Alyssa leaned with her until she fell back against the mattress.

Alyssa scooted upwards until her head found the pillows and fell back, watching as Emma climbed over her, a dopey smile on her lips.

“What?” Alyssa asked.

“You’re so beautiful,” Emma said simply, eyes trailing down her body once more.

Alyssa reached up for Emma’s cheeks and pulled their lips together again.

The weight of Emma’s body against hers was the most welcome feeling in the world as Emma laid on top of her, kissing her thoroughly. Emma’s chest was pressed against hers, and her arms were splayed out next to her where Emma’s fingers tangled with her own. Their legs were intertwined as one of Emma’s thighs slotted between Alyssa’s once again.

When their kisses grew more heated, Alyssa freed her hands to explore every delicious bit of skin that was at her disposal. Emma’s soft belly, her curved hips, her toned arms, and then, tentatively, the swell of her breasts over the hard fabric of her bra.

The moment Alyssa’s hands cupped her breasts, Emma’s kisses stilled and her head turned to the side. Her breath was heavy in Alyssa’s ear.

“Are you okay?” Alyssa asked, her hands retracting.

Emma’s eyes were scrunched shut as she let out a desperate whine and nodded. “Keep touching me,” she gasped. “Please.”

Alyssa returned her hands to their position and experimentally squeezed. Emma sighed in her ear and relaxed against her. Feeling brave, Alyssa’s hands moved to Emma’s back. She unclasped Emma’s bra and slowly pulled it down off her shoulders.

Seeing Emma’s bare chest before her eyes left Alyssa’s mouth dry. She licked her lips, unable to tear her eyes away from the gorgeous sight in front of her. Hesitantly, she brought her hands and held them again, the skin soft and pliant under the palms of her hands. Emma moaned and her body rolled above her. Alyssa brushed her thumbs against her nipples and Emma’s breath caught in her throat.

Alyssa was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to know exactly what sounds Emma would make when she used her mouth instead. She scooted down on the bed ever so slightly and lifted her head just high enough to take the peak of one of Emma’s breasts between her lips. She swirled her tongue around the hard bud and then softly bit down.

The stuttered groan that left Emma’s throat as her hips jerked forward let Alyssa know she made the right decision. Emma’s fingers threaded into Alyssa’s hair as she continued to lavish her breast with attention, before turning her mouth to the other one and giving it the same treatment until Emma was an incoherent mess above her.

Eventually, Alyssa relented. She released Emma’s nipple from her mouth with one last firm swipe of her tongue against it, causing Emma to shudder against her, almost collapsing on top of her. After a moment, Emma regained her bearings and repositioned herself, still on top of Alyssa.

Alyssa leaned up and captured Emma’s lips in a gentle kiss as her hands made their way to her belt, quickly unbuckling it. She went to the fastening of her pants and tucked a finger under her waistband.

“Can I take these off?”

Emma nodded, eyes still closed, and kissed her again.

Alyssa dragged the pants down Emma’s legs, and Emma kicked them away until her legs were free and the clothes fell off the bed. She rolled over onto her side and Alyssa followed suit, facing her. Emma’s nose brushed against Alyssa’s.

Her eyes dragged down Alyssa’s body, still clad in her bra and underwear. “I— can I see you?” Emma whispered.

Alyssa felt her heartbeat thrum in her ears, both excited and anxious at the prospect of Emma seeing all of her. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, but she nodded. As Emma reached out her hands, to take off the last of her clothes, Alyssa grabbed her wrists, stopping her. Emma’s brows scrunched together in confusion, and Alyssa gave her a soft smile and gently kissed the palm of her hand.

“I want to show you,” she whispered.

Emma’s eyes grew wide as she nodded, speechless, watching as Alyssa’s hands went behind her back to remove her own bra. She dragged it down her arms slowly, watching Emma wait with bated breath, until she was exposed. She gave Emma a brief moment to process, before rolling onto her back, hooking her thumbs into her underwear, and dragging them down her legs.

Once Alyssa was completely bare, she rolled onto her side again, facing Emma. Emma, whose eyes were dazed, whose breath was short, whose lustful gaze made Alyssa want to see everything Emma had to offer.

While Emma was still stunned into silence, Alyssa crawled onto her knees and moved down the bed until she could push Emma onto her back and sit between her legs. There was a dark spot on Emma’s white cotton underwear. Alyssa swallowed thickly at the sight of it. She took a deep breath, then moved her hand to the apex of Emma’s thighs, dipping a finger underneath the fabric. She tugged at it lightly and even this brief intrusion gave Alyssa a hint of how wet Emma was. She gasped.

Alyssa looked up to Emma’s eyes, and before the words could even begin to form on her lips, Emma nodded her head vigorously. She took Alyssa’s hands in her own, guiding them to the waistband of her underwear until Alyssa’s fingers hooked underneath and dragged the garment down her legs.

When Alyssa looked up again, her jaw dropped. She had seen countless beautiful sights: the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean, the world below from the cockpit of a plane as she flew higher and higher, the endless expanse of sky above the clouds… but none of them compared to the sight of Emma Nolan before her now.

“Wow,” Alyssa breathed. “You’re beautiful.”

Emma blushed under her gaze, bashfully turning her head away, and Alyssa had the overwhelming urge to kiss her again.

Alyssa crawled up the length of Emma’s body, and as she leaned in to kiss her, their naked skin pressed together for the first time. Alyssa gasped into Emma’s mouth at the sensation, and the kiss was immediately all tongue and teeth as they kissed, desperately licking, grasping at skin, grinding their hips together.

Alyssa remembered how wet Emma was when she had first hooked her fingers into her underwear and suddenly wanted to feel that again.

“Emma?” Alyssa began to slow her kisses.

“Hm?” Emma was still dazed, still only focused on Alyssa’s lips.

Alyssa’s hand lowered until it rested on Emma’s thigh and lightly squeezed. “Can I touch you?”

Emma gulped. “Please,” she whispered. “Please touch me.”

At those words, Alyssa moved her hand between Emma’s legs, running her fingers through the coarse hair for a moment, then sliding against her wet folds.

Emma was so wet, Alyssa thought she might pass out as Emma squirmed beneath her touch. “Fuck,” Alyssa muttered, breathless and amazed. “You feel amazing.”

The only response Emma seemed to be able to manage was a desperate whine. Alyssa took that as a good sign. She leaned down and captured Emma’s lips again, running a finger through her folds again, then ever so lightly brushing against her clit. Emma bit down on her lip as she whimpered against her.

Alyssa lowered her hand to Emma’s entrance and slowly pushed her finger inside, feeling her warm walls surrounding her. Emma desperately grasped at Alyssa’s back, pulling her closer. As Alyssa withdrew her finger, Emma whimpered again.

When she pushed back inside, Emma’s hips bucked into her hand, a leg wrapping around Alyssa, taking her even deeper. Alyssa groaned at the feeling as she continued to thrust into Emma, keeping pace with the movement of her hips.

It was a slow build, but Alyssa savored every second of it. Every push of Emma’s hips, every second her finger was enveloped in Emma’s heat, every desperate moan that Alyssa coerced from her lips. Everything about this moment was pure bliss.

Soon, Emma’s thrusts grew faster and her breath grew short. One of Emma’s hands that was tangled in Alyssa’s hair released its grip and trailed down until it was between them, between her own legs. Alyssa’s lips left Emma’s as she noticed this, and when she saw Emma’s fingers circling her own clit, Alyssa felt like she couldn’t breathe. “Holy shit,” she gasped.

She was in awe of everything about Emma.

No longer muffled by Alyssa’s lips, Emma’s moans grew louder. Alyssa thrust deeper, using her thigh to add extra pressure, and curled her finger inside Emma. Emma seemed to want to communicate something, but the only noises that left her mouth were syllables, incoherent sounds, unable to string together a full word as she grew closer and closer, until she cried out, clutching onto Alyssa for dear life as she trembled.

Alyssa kept up her thrusting until Emma stilled against her, trying to catch her breath. As she eased her finger out, Emma whined and tensed again, sensitive to the touch.

“Oh my god,” Alyssa gasped. “I love you so much.”

Emma chuckled, breathless, and smoothed her messy hair out of her own face. “Kiss me,” she said.

Alyssa didn’t need to be told twice. She laid on top of Emma again, bodies pressed together, legs intertwined, and kissed her soft and slow. She kissed Emma, hoping to convey the depth of how much love she felt, even though she knew it was impossible. She kissed Emma until the thigh between her legs pressed against her again, and Alyssa quickly pulled her lips away in a sharp gasp,and found herself grinding down into the pressure.

Alyssa had never felt anything so wonderful in her life, and she slid easily against the smooth skin of Emma’s leg. She closed her eyes, threw her head back, and rocked against her once more.

It wasn’t until a hand against her cheek broke Alyssa from her daze. She looked down to see Emma watching her with an unbridled reverence in her eyes.

“Let me take care of you, love,” she whispered.

Alyssa nodded, and Emma slowly eased her off of her lap and onto the bed next to her. Emma crawled on top of her until she was face to face with Alyssa again, her mussed, golden hair framing her face like a halo, hazel eyes dark and still slightly dazed, and a gentle smile on her swollen lips. The last coherent thought that entered Alyssa’s mind was how beautiful Emma looked after Alyssa made her come.

Then, Emma’s fingers ran through Alyssa’s folds, and her mind went blank. She was already so sensitive and Emma felt so good. The only thing she could focus on was how to make sure Emma kept doing whatever she was doing.

Alyssa’s leg hooked around Emma’s waist, and her arms desperately grasped at her back. Her teeth sunk into Emma’s shoulder as she circled her clit and Alyssa’s hips bucked, seeking out that pressure. Every touch felt like it was too much, and Alyssa knew she was getting built up embarrassingly quickly.

On the one hand, she wanted this to last because she felt amazing, Emma made her feel amazing. On the other hand, the ache between her legs was only getting worse and she knew the only thing that would help was Emma’s heated touch.

Alyssa gasped as Emma dragged the length of her finger against her clit. She bit down on her own tongue, trying to stifle the cry that left her lips. Emma’s hand stilled for a moment and Alyssa thought that if she didn’t keep moving immediately, she might combust. “Do— do that again,” she gasped, thrusting her hips to encourage Emma’s movement.

A moment later, Emma’s lips were against her own again, and her finger dragged against her clit, building up that beautiful ache inside her.

“Yes,” Alyssa moaned into Emma’s lips. “Keep going.”

Emma obeyed her every word, touching Alyssa as her moans grew more frequent, louder, and more uncontrollable. Alyssa’s hips moved against Emma’s hand as she dragged her fingers against her clit faster and harder. It wasn’t long before the pressure had reached its apex and she thought she might burst; then everything came tumbling over in a blissful release as Alyssa trembled under Emma’s touch and sighed Emma’s name over and over against her lips. She almost didn’t register the tears that fell down her own cheeks.

Emma’s ministrations eased up and her kisses slowed until she was placing soft pecks against Alyssa’s lips until she stilled for a moment. “Alyssa?” Emma asked, her voice small. Alyssa felt a thumb on her cheek, delicately wiping away the tears that were there. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Alyssa’s voice came out in a hoarse whisper. “Everything is perfect.”

As Alyssa laid on her back, eyes still closed, Emma’s weight on top of her disappeared. She whined and desperately reached out, grasping at air, until Emma’s body reappeared next to her, snuggling into her side as she pulled the blankets over them.

Alyssa’s thoughts were hazy, and her eyes felt too heavy to open, but she felt Emma’s soft lips against her shoulder, then her temple, then her cheek, and then, finally, Emma kissed her lips once more.

“I love you, Alyssa Greene.”

Alyssa let out a soft breath and turned her head toward Emma. “I love… you…”

She never finished her sentence before falling asleep in Emma’s warm embrace.

* * *

When Alyssa stirred in bed, it was still dark outside the window. She noticed that she was no longer enveloped in Emma’s arms, but the warmth was still there, so she turned over to face her, rubbing her eyes.

Emma laid, head propped up in her hand as she watched Alyssa in her slumber. When their eyes met and Emma noticed she was awake, her lips turned up in a loving smile. “Hey,” she whispered.

“What time is it?’ Alyssa mumbled, scooting closer to her and throwing her arms around Emma. She pulled her close, snuggling into her again. Emma’s fond smile grew and she placed a kiss at the top of Alyssa’s head.

“Early,” she said. “You can go back to sleep.”

“But you’re awake,” Alyssa hummed against the skin of Emma’s chest. “Why are you awake?”

“Just thinking,” Emma mused

“About what?”

“How beautiful you are.”

Alyssa chuckled as she stretched out her limbs, yawning. Her body pressed fully against Emma’s, rolling slightly on top of her, and she sighed at the feeling. Being this close with Emma was better than any feeling that Alyssa could possibly have dreamt. “I’m sorry I fell asleep on you,” she muttered.

“It’s okay,” Emma said. “It was a long day.”

Alyssa tilted her chin up to look at Emma. She was still staring at Alyssa, lost in concentration. Alyssa let herself indulge in the idea of waking up like this every morning for a brief second, and then a feeling of dread built up inside her. As much as Alyssa didn’t want to acknowledge it, this had an expiration date, and it was creeping up on her faster than she would like.

As the tears clouded in Alyssa’s eyes, Emma’s look of concentration broke into something much softer. “Hey,” she whispered. Alyssa turned her gaze down as she blinked away the tears. “Darling, look at me.”

Alyssa sniffled as she turned to look into Emma’s loving eyes again. She had never felt more at home anywhere else than in Emma’s arms. “I don’t want to lose you,” she breathed. “I just found you again.”

Emma’s eyes shone with tears, but none of them fell. She closed her eyes and kissed Alyssa gently on the forehead. “You’ll never lose me.”

“I can’t go back to my mother,” Alyssa sighed, closing her eyes as a tear fell down her cheek. “I— I don’t know what to do.”

Emma was quiet for a moment. Alyssa felt Emma’s breath against her face, felt the rise and all of her chest, felt her hands as they held her. “Can I tell you something?” Emma finally spoke up, her voice quiet and timid.

Alyssa nodded. “Anything.”

Emma took a deep breath. “So, I’ve been saving up some money,” she started. “A lot of money, actually. I got a lot better at cards at some point.” She let out a light chuckle before continuing. “I— I want to buy a house or… a bit of land somewhere. Take my grandma with me and just build a life. Build a home. Away from my parents, away from everything that ever made me feel like less than I am.”

Alyssa smiled and placed a kiss to Emma’s chest. “That’s beautiful.” She could practically feel the nerves radiating from Emma. Alyssa looked up at her and her face was pale, her eyes conflicted. “What is it?”

Emma gulped. “You could come with me,” she said with a slight shrug of her shoulders. “If you want.”

Alyssa’s heart stopped. Her eyes grew wide in surprise, trying to read Emma’s timid expression to see just how serious she was being. Emma was completely genuine. “I— I…” Alyssa stuttered.

“You don’t have to answer now,” Emma said quickly. “Actually, please don’t answer now. I don’t want you to make a decision without thinking it through only to change your mind later. I… I don’t think my heart could take that. So please, think about it.”

Slowly, Alyssa nodded. “Okay.”

“I just… I want you to know there’s always a place for you with me,” Emma muttered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Instead of answering, Alyssa placed a soft kiss on her lips. Emma sighed into the touch and cupped her cheek as their lips lazily danced together. Eventually, Emma’s movements started to slow until she yawned, mid-kiss.

“Let’s go back to sleep, love,” Alyssa whispered.

Emma nodded and sleepily rolled onto her side. Alyssa’s arm wound over her waist, her palm against Emma’s abdomen, her front pressed to Emma’s back. As Emma’s breathing evened out, Alyssa placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder. “I love you,” she whispered. Emma whined in her sleep, as if she heard and was trying to unconsciously respond.

A future with Emma was something that Alyssa hadn’t allowed herself to contemplate, thinking it an impossible fantasy. But here Emma was, offering it as a reality. While Alyssa closed her eyes and snuggled into her, she finally let herself consider the impossible and a soft smile graced her lips as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

This time, when Alyssa woke up, it was a little less peaceful. Sunlight streamed in through the window onto her face, and there was a harsh rapping at the door of their room. She and Emma seemed to startle awake at the noise simultaneously.

“What’s that?” Emma mumbled, groggy as she rolled onto her stomach.

“I think it’s the door?” Alyssa blinked and rubbed her eyes, getting her bearings.

“What, is it maid service?” She wrapped an arm over Alyssa’s torso and buried her face in her neck. “Tell them to go away.”

Alyssa chuckled softly. “Fine,” she said. “But you’ll have to let go of me.” There was another sharp knock at the door.

Emma grumbled, but eventually withdrew her arm. She placed a kiss on Emma’s forehead, then climbed out of bed, quickly grabbing a robe to cover herself.

When she opened the door a crack, the last face she expected to see was that of her mother, Veronica Greene.

“Mother?” Alyssa gasped. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder to see Emma’s eyes wide, slowly pulling the blanket over her head to hide herself. Alyssa kept the door only open enough to peek her head through the crack as she forced a smile onto her face. “What— what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to take you home, of course,” Veronica said, faux sympathy in her voice. “As soon as I heard they started shutting down some WASP services, I knew you would need me, and so the moment I got word of your branch closing down I came to get you.”

“Mom, you really didn’t have to do that—“

“Of course I did! I can only imagine how upset you must be, how alone you must feel now that you have to leave all your friends, but it’s all right because your mother is here for you.”

“And I appreciate that, but—“

“Aren’t you going to let me in, dear?”

“No!” Alyssa said, a little too quickly. “No, I— how did you know where I am?”

“I got your hotel from a lovely gentleman at Fort Drum and your room number from the front desk. Why can’t I go inside? You know, Alyssa, it’s very rude to not invite your own mother to…” She trailed off as she took in Alyssa’s appearance, tired eyes, tousled hair, wearing only a robe. “Alyssa, is there a man in your room?”

Alyssa’s eyes grew wide. “No,” she said. “Of course not. I just… It’s been a rough day, mom. I’m tired. Can you go wait in the lobby and give me a minute to get ready? We can get breakfast.”

Veronica’s eyes narrowed as she tried to peek over Alyssa’s shoulder, but Alyssa made sure there was no room to see what was past the door. After a moment, she gave up and sighed. “Sure thing, dear. Don’t take too long.”

“I won’t,” Alyssa said, a grim smile on her lips as she closed the door in her mother’s face.

Alyssa waited a moment, resting her head against the door as she listened for the sound of footsteps retreating down the hall. Once she was sure that her mother was well on her way back to the lobby, she turned around to see Emma sitting up, wide awake. The sheets fell from her shoulders to her lap, and Alyssa’s eyes were suddenly drawn to her chest, almost forgetting what had her so panicked a moment ago.

“Are you okay?” Emma asked her.

Alyssa nodded, looking back to Emma’s eyes. “Yeah, I’m good. I’ll talk to her.” Her eyes dipped down to Emma’s chest again. “Though I’d much rather stay in bed with you.

Emma’s cheeks flushed at Alyssa’s comment and her lingering gaze, but she made no move to cover herself. She cleared her throat. “Um, you— you should get ready,” she said. “Your mother’s waiting.”

Alyssa stalked back to the bed and crawled on top of Emma, kissing her languidly. Emma sank into the kiss for a moment, hands reaching under her robe to pull her waist down so their hips were flush together. Maybe for one more beautiful moment Alyssa could pretend everything was perfect. But soon, Alyssa slowed her kisses and stilled the movement of her hands. “I probably should,” she muttered.

Emma pressed another quick kiss to her lips. “I’ll be here.”

A few minutes later, Alyssa had hastily dressed and brushed her teeth. She threw her hair up in a messy bun and made her way downstairs. Alyssa found her mother seated in an armchair in the lobby, sipping on a mug of coffee.

“Mother,” Alyssa said, giving her most polite smile. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

“You did, but I won’t hold that against you,” Veronica said in her usual judgmental tone that made Alyssa’s skin crawl..

They walked to the cafe next door and were quickly seated at a table. As soon as their food was ordered, Veronica went straight to business.

“How quickly can you get your things together?” she asked. “I can get us on a flight back to Indiana this afternoon.”

Alyssa scoffed. “Mom, you can’t just— I can make my own way back just fine.”

“Sweetie, please sit up straight. God, the military really did a number on your etiquette. Did you forget everything I taught you? Elbows off the table.”

Alyssa took a deep breath. “Mother, what if— what if I don’t want to go back today.”

“Well I invited the Brooks family over for dinner tomorrow night, so you have to be back before then,” she explained. “Their son was honorably discharged a few months ago due to an injury! Thankfully it’s just his back, and nothing gross or disfiguring. His face is still perfectly intact. The two of you can finally meet and hit it off! I already spoke to his mother about the match and you know Mrs. Brooks, she just loves you—“

“Mom! Just stop!” Alyssa exclaimed. Her raised voice drew a few eyes to their table, but she quickly quieted down again, hoping their attention would drift elsewhere.

“Alyssa, what has gotten into you?” Veronica said with a glare.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, mother,” Alyssa said, her voice a hushed whisper. “I’ve learned so much about myself since becoming a WASP, and I— I can’t go back to the life we had before. I can’t have you telling me what to do or who I’m going to marry or what kind of woman I should be for the rest of my life.”

“Well, what else are you going to do?” Veronica scoffed. “You don’t have a job anymore.”

“I’ll find one.”

“Alyssa, the world today is difficult for a single woman to live in. You won’t be able to do this by yourself! Why don’t you just come home and we can figure out—“

“I won’t be by myself.”

Veronica’s eyes turned curious. “There was a man in your room this morning, wasn’t there?”

Alyssa chuckled softly and cast her eyes down at the table. “Not a man, no,” she said, shaking her head.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Alyssa took a deep breath and thought of Emma waiting for her, and she suddenly had the courage she needed. “Mother,” she started, “do you remember Emma Nolan?”

“Who, your old flying partner?” Alyssa nodded. “What does she have to do with this?”

“Everything,” Alyssa breathed. “She’s… everything. And I’m not going back to Indiana with you, mom. I’m staying here for now. With her. And… we’ll figure things out.”

Veronica’s face was pale, her eyes were wide. Alyssa thought she might faint. As she was still stunned, a worker brought their food out to their table. She still didn’t move.

“Mom, do you need some water?”

Veronica didn’t answer. She swallowed and shook her head dumbly. “I— I don’t understand. This isn’t the life that I had planned for you.”

“I don’t need you to understand,” Alyssa sighed. “I just needed to tell you. This is my life and this is what I want to do with it.”

“You can’t— and she— how would you…” Veronica couldn’t even articulate full sentences. Part of Alyssa felt bad for dropping this bombshell on her mother, but another part of her, a much bigger part of her, felt a thrill of joy coursing through her veins. She had taken the first step to making sure this life was hers, not dictated by her mother or anyone else, and she was going to live it out with the woman she loved. “Is this my fault?” Veronica finally choked out.

Alyssa gave her mother a sad smile and shook her head. “I love you mom,” she sighed. “I know you don’t understand right now, but… she makes me happy.” When her mother only sat there, gaping at her, Alyssa reached across the table and held onto her hand. “I don’t want you to hate me. I don’t want to be a stranger to you. I— I can tell that you need some time, so I’m going to leave now.” She frowned. “Go back to Indiana, mom. I’ll come visit in a few weeks. I promise.”

Once again, Veronica said nothing, so Alyssa took her food to go, dropped some money on the table, stood from her seat, and walked out the door.

* * *

Before returning to their room, Alyssa went for a quick walk to clear her head. The moment she stepped out of the cafe and away from her mother, she felt there was a weight off her shoulders, a pressure lifted from her chest. She was free to breathe, free to live, free to be whoever she chose to be.

As she walked down the street, it was like there was a new vibrant color in the world as Alyssa realized how many possibilities were open to her now. And all she wanted to do was share her joy with Emma. She spun on her heel to return to the hotel, but spotted out of the corner of her eye, an old woman on the street with a cart and a sign that read: FLOWERS, FIFTY CENTS.

Alyssa quickly fished through her purse for two quarters, handed them to the woman, and took a single rose in her hands. She all but ran back to the hotel, upstairs, back to her room, and threw open the door.

Emma froze where she stood in front of the mirror. She was out of bed and dressed in slacks and suspenders over a white button up. Her hair was still a little damp as she brushed it; she must have just gotten out of the shower. Her eyes turned to see Alyssa in the doorway and her shoulders relaxed. Then her gaze fell to the flower in Alyssa’s hands and her expression was replaced with one of confusion.

As Alyssa stepped forward with purpose, Emma barely had time to drop the hairbrush on the counter before Alyssa had grabbed her suspenders and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. Her lips fitted to Emma’s like she was only meant to kiss one person forever, and Alyssa would be perfectly happy if that were the case.

After a moment, she slowed the kiss and pulled back ever so slightly. Emma stood, eyes closed, mouth half open, in a daze. Her hands were on Alyssa’s hips and squeezed slightly before her eyes fluttered open. Alyssa watched her with a breathless smile.

Emma stared at her for a moment and licked her lips. “Hi,” she whispered.

“Hey.” Alyssa held up the rose between them. “This is for you.” The amused, loving smile on Emma’s lips sent Alyssa’s heart beating faster. She bit her tongue, holding back everything she wanted to say so to not overwhelm her, and waited.

“I love it,” she said, taking it from Alyssa’s hands and kissing her again. “What’s this for?”

Alyssa let out a breath as her heartbeat thrummed anxiously in her chest. She took Emma’s hands, holding the rose between both of their fingers. “I want to go with you,” she said firmly.

Emma raised her eyebrows, and her eyes grew wide. It was a look of disbelief, but also of hope. “You— you do?” she gasped. “Are you sure?”

Alyssa nodded. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” she said. “I want to be with you, whatever happens. I want you to be the place I call home.”

“But— your mom?”

Alyssa shook her head. “I told her I’m not going back with her. I told her about you. Emma, don’t you see? You are my future.”

Emma stared at her another moment, as though she thought Alyssa was kidding, playing some rude prank on her, but when she realized Alyssa was being serious, she let out a laugh that turned into a sob somewhere along the way. She let go of Alyssa’s hands, dropping the rose to the floor, and cupped her cheeks.

“I love you,” Emma whispered. The tears that trickled from the corner of her eye were ones of elation. Alyssa knew this, because she began to cry herself. Emma’s thumbs wiped away the tears as they fell to her cheeks, and then she pulled her in for a kiss.

Their lips moved, tentative, exploring, cautious. There was no rush to their movements, no passionate desperation, just simply love. Alyssa kissed Emma, and let herself be kissed, knowing that there was the promise of a lifetime of tomorrows behind it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to every single person who read, left a kudos or comment, sent me a message, EVERYTHING. But huge huge thanks to my partner in crime Brie, without whom this fic would not exist. Thank you for sending the song cherry blossom and screaming about wasp greenelan slow dancing to it. It’s been a Trip.
> 
> I love this story and I love you all ❤️


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